Lebanon-Syria technical talks: A potential turning point?

Report by Joe Farchakh, English adaptation by Karine Keuchkerian

As Lebanon officially awaits the arrival of U.S. envoy Tom Barrack for a new round of talks, attention is turning to the Lebanese technical committee preparing to host an official Syrian delegation in a meeting that is the first of its kind. The session will address sensitive issues between the two countries and pave the way for high-level official meetings later.

According to information obtained by LBCI, the Lebanese delegation will not be ministerial but will consist of senior technical officials, mirroring the Syrian delegation, which includes judges with public prosecutor rank, officers with the rank of brigadier general, and one of Lebanon’s senior diplomats representing the Foreign Ministry.

On the meeting agenda are sensitive and complex issues that will test both sides’ seriousness in reorganizing bilateral relations.

On the border demarcation and control file, two meetings have previously been held in Riyadh between the Lebanese and Syrian defense ministers, followed by regular technical meetings in Damascus involving officers from both sides. 

What is new this time is that the committee will discuss the border demarcation process in detail, alongside continued security coordination to curb smuggling, whether of drugs or weapons, where tangible progress has been recorded, according to government sources.

Regarding Syrian detainees in Lebanese prisons, informed government sources told LBCI that there is no discussion of a general amnesty, as has been rumored, but rather of drafting an agreement for prisoner exchanges. 

Cases will be divided into several categories, including convicted individuals serving their sentences, numbering 700; convicted individuals with specific crimes awaiting additional trials, numbering 370; and detainees held on suspicion or due to name similarities without judicial rulings, numbering 1,000. This brings the total to more than 2,000 prisoners.

On the issue of Syrian refugees, the Lebanese committee will present the government’s plan, which relies on financial incentives for return, alongside Beirut’s request to Damascus to direct aid to the areas where returnees go, considering that reconstruction is the primary requirement for return.

Deliberations will not be limited to these three topics but will also review previously signed bilateral agreements, including the Syrian Lebanese Higher Council, which government sources expect may be slated for cancellation.

The timing of the visit remains uncertain, but what is clear is that the upcoming meeting will be a serious test of the possibility of moving from managing technical files to shaping a new political framework for relations between Beirut and Damascus.