Lebanon and Syria to form committees on prisoners, missing persons and border issues

Lebanon and Syria will form two committees to decide the fate of the nearly 2,000 Syrian prisoners held in Lebanese jails, to locate Lebanese nationals missing in Syria for years, and to settle the shared unmarked border, judicial and security officials say.

Today’s announcement comes as a Syrian delegation, which includes two former cabinet ministers and the head of Syria’s National Commission for Missing Persons, visits Beirut, a first since insurgent groups overthrew Syrian president Bashar Assad’s government in early December.

Syria’s new administration, under interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa, wants to “open a new page” with Lebanon and pave the way for a visit by the Syrian ministers of foreign affairs and justice, though a date is yet to be set, a Lebanese judicial and two security officials tell The Associated Press.

Talks today with Lebanon’s Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri included the topic of Syrians held in Lebanese jails, of which about 800 have been detained for security reasons, such as attacks and shootings, the officials say, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations. Many Syrians held in Lebanon are in jail without trial.

They also say that the two sides discussed Lebanese citizens missing in Syria and the two countries’ shared border, where smuggling is common, and the estimated 1.5 million Syrian refugees in Lebanon who escaped the uprising-turned-conflict in their home country over 14 years ago.

The Syrian side wants to review bilateral agreements that were in place during the Assad family’s 54-year dynasty, but Lebanon suggests forming new agreements to deal with pending issues between the two nations, the Lebanese officials say.