Prisoner transfer deal signals cautious thaw in Lebanese-Syrian relations

Report by Bassam Abou Zeid, English adaptation by Karine Keuchkerian

Lebanon and Syria have many unresolved issues, and officials from both countries consistently emphasize the need to address them.

Resolving these issues requires extensive discussions and mutual concessions, with each side seeking to protect its own interests.

The first step in this process is the signing of an agreement to transfer convicted prisoners from the country where the sentence was issued to the country of the prisoner’s nationality — from Lebanon to Syria. 

The agreement covers more than 300 Syrian convicts, with the handover process set to begin Saturday.

Those included were convicted of various crimes. There are no exceptions to the transfer process, even if the offense is related to Lebanon’s state security. The sole condition for transfer is that the prisoners must have served long sentences, having completed at least 10 years of their term.

This agreement is seen as an incentive to quickly reach another accord addressing the status of Syrian detainees in Lebanese prisons, whose number is estimated at around 2,500.

In addition to this two-part file, another key issue for both countries has been discussed multiple times: the demarcation of land and maritime borders, and their security and economic implications.

Lebanese-Syrian relations may be among the issues linked to regional developments, but they continue to suffer from stagnation and from the repercussions of relations maintained by some Lebanese parties with the former Syrian regime, which have yet to be fully resolved.