Landmark visit sees nations seeking solutions to border issues, status of Syrian prisoners and fate of Syrian refugees.
Syria’s foreign minister has held talks with senior Lebanese government figures in Beirut as the countries seek to reset ties after decades of belligerent relations, borne of involvement in each other’s ruinous civil wars and occupation, accrued during the reign of the al-Assad family.
Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani said on Friday that his visit, the first to its neighbour by a senior leader of the fledgling government, demonstrated “a new Syrian approach towards Lebanon” that would “overcome the obstacles of the past”, alluding to the al-Assad clan’s decades-long control over Lebanese affairs.
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Attending a joint news conference, Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji concurred, saying that the neighbours, which regularly clash over their shared 330-kilometre (205-mile) border, were forging a “new path”.
Key issues include the border, the status of 2,000 Syrian prisoners in Lebanese jails, locating Lebanese nationals missing in Syria for years, and facilitating the return of Syrian refugees.
More than a million Syrians fled their country’s 14-year civil war for Lebanon – though the United Nations refugee agency says more than 294,000 have returned home this year.
After meeting President Joseph Aoun, al-Shaibani said the refugee issue would be resolved gradually. “There are plans that we are discussing now, with international support, for the dignified and stable return” of refugees, he said.
On the border issue, Lebanon and Syria’s defence ministers signed an agreement last March to address security threats after clashes left 10 dead.
‘Respect for sovereignty’
The two countries have to overcome decades of mutual mistrust.
The new Syrian government led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa, which overthrew Bashar al-Assad in a lightning rebel offensive last December, harbours deep resentment over the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah’s role in fighting alongside al-Assad forces in Syria’s civil war, propping up his authoritarian rule for years.
And many Lebanese still hold a grudge over Syria’s 29-year domination of its smaller neighbour, where it had a military presence for three decades and assassinated numerous officials in Lebanon opposed to its rule.
Syria had become the dominant power in Lebanon after former president Hafez al-Assad intervened in its 1975-1990 civil war. His son Bashar withdrew troops in 2005 following mass protests triggered by the killing of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri, blamed on al-Assad and Hezbollah.
Bridge-building between the two countries has gathered momentum following al-Assad’s ouster and Hezbollah’s significant losses during its recent war with Israel. The group had lost a major ally and supply route with al-Assad’s removal.
Al-Shaibani, who was accompanied by a delegation that included Justice Minister Mazhar al-Wais, reiterated Syria’s “respect for Lebanon’s sovereignty,” saying Damascus seeks to “move past previous obstacles and strengthen bilateral ties”.
In December, al-Sharaa said his country would not interfere in Lebanon and would respect its neighbour’s sovereignty.
