
Embrace in Damascus between Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati and Syria’s new leader Ahmad al-Sharaa. (Credit: Photo provided by the Lebanese PM’s office)
BEIRUT — Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati visited Syria on Saturday, with the demarcation of land and maritime borders as one of his top priorities in discussions with Syria's new leader, Ahmad al-Sharaa.
It was his first official visit since a coalition of Syrian opposition forces overthrew Bashar al-Assad's regime in December and marks the first trip by a Lebanese head of government to Syria since the Syrian civil war that broke out with the brutal crackdown against popular uprisings in 2011.
Mikati’s visit, according to his press office, came in response to an invitation from Sharaa, as both countries seek to improve bilateral ties amid the rapidly shifting political landscape in the region.
Relations between Syrian and Lebanon have been especially strained since Hezbollah sent fighters to Syria to assist its ally, Assad, with the violent suppression of protests against the regime. Hezbollah first sent fighters in 2011 and by 2014 was deployed in several areas across the country. The party has been significantly weakened since the all-out war raged against it in Lebanon by the Israeli army between September and November of last year.
The meeting between the two leaders involved, among other things, "the problems of smuggling, Syrian savings blocked in Lebanese banks and the delineation of borders between the two countries," Sharaa said following their talks.
'Too early' for Shebaa
“Certain activities on the border must be fully controlled, particularly at the illegal crossing points," Mikati told journalists during a joint press conference with Sharaa, "in order to put an end to all smuggling operations between Lebanon and Syria.” He also spoke of a need address the situation of Syrian refugees returning to Syria from Lebanon.
Mikati made it clear that he wished the cooperation on this front did not overshadow the ongoing need to settle the “border demarcation issue,” and announced that a “Lebanese-Syrian committee” would be set up “to bring this process to a successful conclusion.”
Sharaa, leader the Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, the leading group within the Syrian opposition, said that he also believes the “border issue is an absolute priority.” But he also pointed out that the new Syrian government had only been in place for a month, that it would have to deal with “many issues” in the wake of a devastating decade and that it would need “time.”
“The current priority in Syria is the internal situation, the security situation, state control of arms, and then reassuring neighboring countries," he said during the press conference. "We are still at the first meeting and hope to meet often, Inshallah. Many subjects should be discussed in the next few days, with the border issue being the top priority,” he clarified.
When asked about the issue of the disputed Shebaa farms, internationally recognized as part of the Syrian Golan Heights, currently under Israeli occupation, the two men sidestepped the question. Mikati said that Shebaa was part of the border issue and Sharaa said it was too early to discuss it.
Syria to remain 'at equal distance' from all
Sharaa made assurances that the new Syrian leadership would no longer engage in “negative interference” in Lebanon. “In Syria, we will remain at equal distance from everyone in Lebanon and solve problems through consultation and dialogue,” Sharaa said.
Of the newly elected Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, Sharaa said his government has "already declared our support ... even though we don't know him and have had no relations with him up to now."
"I think there will be long-term strategic relations," Sharaa continued, "and we have very great common interests with Lebanon. We hope for a stable situation in Lebanon with the presence of President Joseph Aoun or Najib Mikati if he is reappointed.”
“We are giving ourselves the opportunity to build a lasting relationship for the coming period, based on the sovereignty of Lebanon and Syria,” said Sharaa. “There will be lasting strategic relations with major common interests.”
Mikati praised the “good neighborly and close relations between our countries,” as quoted by the National News Agency (NNA). “We must ensure that our relations operate on the basis of the national sovereignty of both countries and prevent anything that could harm this relationship,” the caretaker prime minister said.
“This visit is a pioneering one, and what I saw from Mr. Sharaa regarding the relationship between our two countries reassures me,” Mikati said.
Syria was a dominant political and military force in Lebanon for three decades, intervening during the 1975-1990 Civil War and implicated in the assassinations of numerous political figures. The country withdrew its troops in 2005 under international pressure following the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri.
Since the launch of military operations in Syria that led to the fall of Assad's regime, the border area has witnessed a series of clashes and incidents involving armed groups and the forces of the new government in Damascus.
The confrontations initially took place in the coastal province of Tartus, a stronghold of the Alawite minority to which the ousted president belongs. They later intensified around the Syrian town of Tal Kalakh in the Homs province, less than 5 km from the Lebanese border.
Tal Kalakh has been under siege by fighters from HTS with the aim of expelling pro-Assad factions. Hezbollah fighters are believed to have deployed militiamen to secure this strategic crossing point, traditionally used by the party to transfer weapons.
The Israeli army also bombed the border area multiple times following Assad's fall and despite the agreement supposedly bringing an end to its aggression in Lebanon.