Minister Al-Shaibani in Beirut to Discuss Outstanding Issues with Lebanon
Syrian Foreign Minister, Asaad Al-Shaibani, arrived in Beirut on Friday for an official visit, the first of its kind since the fall of the previous regime, in response to an invitation from his Lebanese counterpart, Youssef Raji.
During the visit, Al-Shaibani is scheduled to meet with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, in a move believed to aim at opening a new chapter in bilateral relations.
Although the official statement issued by the Lebanese Foreign Ministry did not specify the topics for discussion, informed sources anticipated that the talks would focus on the outstanding issues between the two countries, with the topic of Syrian refugees in Lebanon expected to take a prominent place on the dialogue agenda, as it is considered an "important and urgent" issue from the perspective of many Lebanese officials.
The sessions will also witness discussions regarding the conditions of Lebanese detainees in Syrian prisons, along with the topic of securing the shared borders and preventing smuggling operations, especially in light of the troubled security history of the borders between the two countries.
This meeting comes in the wake of last September's agreement to form two specialized committees to prepare the preparatory texts for a judicial agreement and a border agreement between the two countries. The past months have seen security tensions on the borders, where Lebanese border towns were subjected to shelling from Syrian territory last March, resulting in "the death of seven Lebanese citizens and the injury of 52 others," while the Lebanese army responded to the sources of fire.
Coinciding with this visit, Lebanese prisons are witnessing protests by Syrians detained there, as "dozens of Syrians in Lebanese prisons have staged several protests, demanding their release and return to their homeland."
It is noteworthy that Lebanon has hosted nearly one million Syrian refugees during the years of the crisis, and in recent times, hundreds of them have returned coinciding with the political change in Syria.
This visit is considered a historic milestone in redefining relations between the two countries after a complex phase that witnessed a Lebanese division between supporters of the previous regime through Hezbollah, which participated in the Syrian war, and opponents of it among Lebanese politicians.
