A delegation from Syria’s General Authority for Land and Sea Border Crossings met with a Lebanese delegation in Damascus on Tuesday, September 9, to discuss activating and rehabilitating joint border crossings between the two countries.

The talks covered all shared crossings: Jdeidat Yabous, Jousiya, al-Arida, al-Dabousiyah, and Jisr al-Qamar.

The two sides agreed to rebuild the bridge at the al-Dabousiyah crossing through the Authority’s Directorate of Facilities and Maintenance, with support from the International Organization for Migration and coordination with Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Works and Transport. They also agreed to rehabilitate the existing bridge at the  al-Arida crossing.

The delegations decided to activate the Jisr al-Qamar crossing to improve mobility between the two countries, and to resume commercial truck traffic through the Jousiya crossing in the near future.

According to the Authority, activating the crossings will help boost trade and ease transportation burdens on merchants.

Both sides stressed the importance of streamlining procedures, improving traveler services, addressing existing problems, and raising performance levels at the crossings, in addition to widening the categories of Syrians allowed to enter Lebanon.

The Syrian delegation was led by Qutayba Naji, Deputy Head of the Authority, while the Lebanese side was headed by Michel Boutros, Liaison Officer in the Lebanese Army.

Unresolved issues

On September 1, a Syrian delegation visited Beirut to discuss “pending issues” between Damascus and Beirut, most notably the file of Syrian detainees in Lebanese prisons and border demarcation. The delegation met with Lebanese Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri.

The Associated Press quoted judicial and security officials as saying that Beirut and Damascus would form two committees to determine the fate of about 2,000 Syrians held in Lebanese prisons, as well as the whereabouts of Lebanese citizens missing in Syria for years, and to settle the status of their shared border.

The Syrian delegation included Mohammed Taha al-Ahmad, Director of Arab Affairs at the Foreign Ministry; Mohammed Yaqub al-Omar, Head of Consular Affairs; and Mohammed Reda Jalkhi, Head of the National Commission for the Missing.

Al-Omar revealed in a Facebook post that, tasked by Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani, he had met with Lebanese Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri.

According to al-Omar, the meeting discussed “pending issues” between Syria and Lebanon, including the file of Syrian detainees in Lebanon, missing Syrians, and several bilateral matters.

The Lebanese National News Agency reported that, in addition to the detainee file, the meeting addressed “cooperation in border control and anti-smuggling,” the issue of Syrian refugees and facilitating their return, as well as “reviewing and improving Syrian-Lebanese agreements” and “exploring agreements and measures to promote economic cooperation.”

The visit by the Syrian delegation to Beirut is paving the way for visits by Syria’s foreign and justice ministers, though no date has yet been set, according to AP, citing a Lebanese judicial official and two security officials.