Lebanon is not only waiting for Israel’s response to its stance on the US proposals related to a ceasefire, limiting the possession of arms to the state and the demarcation of the border, but it is also awaiting an official position from Syria.
Two out of the 30 articles of the “US document” concern Syria. They cover the demarcation of their shared land and sea borders and determining exclusive economic zones. The second article focuses on jointly combating drug smuggling.
Implementing the first article calls for forming a tripartite committee of Lebanese and Syrian representatives and United Nations experts, as well as assistance from the US, Saudi Arabia and France.
The document says the proposals will be effective as of August 1 as soon as they are approved by Lebanon, Israel and Syria. Lebanon is the only party to have so far approved them.
A government source told Asharq Al-Awsat that Lebanese official channels have yet to receive any official Syrian position on the US document.
US Ambassador to Türkiye and Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack was in Lebanon this week to further discuss the proposals. He met with President Joseph Aoun, parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam before traveling to Israel.
Aoun had informed Barrack that Lebanon demands a response from both Israel and Syria. Barrack said he will ensure that Damascus makes its position clear.
At the moment, contacts between Lebanon and Syria are taking place through security and military channels.
The source said a Syrian official delegation is set to travel to Lebanon next week to discuss pending files between the countries, most notably border demarcation, drug smuggling and Syrian refugees and detainees in Lebanon. Damascus has notably not yet appointed an ambassador to Beirut.
Saudi Arabia had in March sponsored an agreement in Jeddah between the Lebanese and Syrian defense ministers that stresses the need to demarcate the border between the two neighbors, form dedicated legal committees to tackle pending files and activate coordination mechanisms to handle security and military challenges.
Cold relations
The Lebanese-Syrian border has witnessed fierce clashes between clans and Hezbollah, before developing into clashes between the Lebanese army and Syrian forces.
Director of the Levant Institute for Strategic Affairs Dr. Sami Nader doubted that the articles tied to Lebanon and Syria can be implemented.
He told Asharq Al-Awsat that the situation is complex and compounded by the presence of Hezbollah members along the Lebanese side of the border.
So, the article related to the Lebanese state having monopoly over arms needs to be implemented so that the articles related to Syria can in turn be implemented, he explained.
Saudi Arabia and the US are playing a key role in border demarcation, but real progress there can only be achieved once the army carries out its plan to limit the possession of arms to the state, Nader said.
The military is expected to send its plan to the cabinet.
As it stands, relations between Lebanon and Syria's new authorities can be described as “cold” despite visits by former PM Najib Mikati and current PM Salam to Damascus after the fall of the Assad regime in December.
Syria’s Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani was expected to visit Beirut at some point, but a date was never set.
Former MP Moeen al-Merehbi told Asharq Al-Awsat that Beirut and Damascus have to exert more efforts to forge warm ties, especially since they both evidently want to.
The new Syrian authorities have an interest in demarcating the marine and land borders with Lebanon, as opposed to the Assad regime that did not even allow anyone to broach the subject, he remarked.
