Lebanon and Syria agree to form two committees to discuss borders, prisoners, and missing persons

In an important step towards enhancing cooperation between Lebanon and Syria, an agreement has been reached to form two joint committees between the two countries to follow up on issues of prisoners, missing persons, and border matters.

The agreement comes in preparation for an anticipated Syrian ministerial visit to Beirut, as part of improving bilateral relations between the two countries.

The committees' tasks include determining the fate of about 2000 Syrian prisoners held in Lebanese prisons, among them approximately 800 prisoners convicted of security-related cases concerning "terrorist crimes".

The committees will also discuss the fate of Lebanese missing persons in Syria for years, in a step to resolve these outstanding humanitarian files.

Additionally, the committees will address the issue of the unmarked common borders between the two countries, which has remained one of the thorny issues over the decades.

This announcement came after a Syrian delegation visited Beirut, headed by two former ministers and the head of the Syrian National Committee for Missing Persons, in the first visit of its kind since the ousting of Bashar al-Assad last December.

The Syrian delegation was received by Lebanese Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri, who emphasized the importance of building trust between the two countries, noting that the meeting addressed many common issues, most notably the file of detainees and missing persons, in addition to the topic of cooperation in border control and preventing smuggling.

Mitri pointed out that there is a consensus on reviewing previous agreements between Lebanon and Syria and improving them, as well as developing procedures that enhance economic cooperation between the two countries.

It was also emphasized the importance of facilitating the return of displaced Syrians to their homeland.

This agreement comes after the postponement of a Syrian delegation's visit that was scheduled to arrive in Beirut last week, with no reasons disclosed.

Despite the postponement of the visit, efforts continue to overcome past obstacles, as the new Syrian president Ahmad al-Shara seeks to "open a new page" with Lebanon, in preparation for the anticipated ministerial visit.

In a related context, more than 2000 Syrian prisoners in Lebanese prisons continue their appeals to the Syrian president, demanding to be transferred to Syria to complete their trials there.

This visit is a decisive step towards forming a new ground for cooperation between the two states, which have long had tense relations due to political and security issues.