Syria and Lebanon agreed on Thursday to resume work towards formally demarcating their borders but Damascus said the boundaries of the disputed Shebaa Farms would not be drawn until Israel withdrew from them. Demarcation of the borders between Syria and Lebanon would be a major step towards meeting international demands on Damascus to formalize ties with its smaller neighbor. Lebanese President Michel Suleiman and his Syrian counterpart Bashar Al-Assad agreed on the following six steps at the conclusion of a two-day summit in Damascus: • Establishment of diplomatic relations at the level of ambassadors. • Reactivating the work of the committee to demarcate the Lebanese-Syrian borders. • Working jointly to control the borders and fight against trafficking and all operations which breach the law. • Activating a joint committee to investigate cases of people missing from both countries and to put in place mechanisms likely to reach quick results. • Reviewing bilateral agreements which currently exist between the two countries. • Taking measures to activate commercial exchanges and create a common economic market. Opening diplomatic ties was a step France and the United States had demanded of Syria, which dominated its neighbor until 2005 when the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Al-Hariri forced it to withdraw from Lebanon. Saad Al-Hariri, son of Rafiq Al-Hariri, welcomed the establishment of diplomatic ties as an accomplishment for the Lebanese people. Suleiman, who was army chief before his election, has good ties to Damascus. His recent election was sealed as part of a deal that ended 18 months of bitter political conflict between Hariri and his allies and an alliance led by Hezbollah.
