BEIRUT: The opposition Syrian Council announced Thursday that, should it come to power in Syria, it will seek to re-evaluate agreements between Syria and Lebanon and clearly demarcate the border between the two countries as a first step toward achieving better bilateral relations.

“The Syrian National Council seeks a bright future with Lebanon … we will review agreements signed between the two countries and reach new agreements based on the independent and common interests of both nations,” the council said in an open letter to the Lebanese posted on its official website.

The council also said that the relationship between the two nations should be governed by the framework of diplomatic representation via the two countries' embassies.

The statement said the council will abolish the Syrian-Lebanese Supreme Court, demarcate the Syrian border, particularly in the Israeli-occupied Shebaa Farms, and adjust the common border between Syria and Lebanon.

Lebanon, backed by Syria, maintains that the Shebaa Farms, a small plot of land where Israel, Syria and Lebanon intersect , is Lebanese territory and therefore a point of dispute with Israel. Syria, however, has not officially proclaimed the Shebaa Farms to be Lebanese.

Lebanese politicians have called on successive governments to demarcate the border between Lebanon and Syria, as a number of villages in north Lebanon fall in unmarked areas.

Since the uprising in neighboring Syria began in mid-March, the lack of proper demarcation has made it difficult to determine whether Syrian military actions along the porous border constitute incursions into Lebanon.

The SNC also vowed to end what it described as the role of Syrian intelligence and security in Lebanon, which interfere in the country’s internal affairs.

The Lebanese Civil War of 1975-1990 ended with Syrian tutelage over Lebanon until Syria withdrew its army in 2005 following mass protests demanding an end to Syria’s presence in the country.

The Council also said that a commission of inquiry should be established to look into the cases of detained Lebanese and missing persons in Syrian prisons.

Lebanese NGOs say they have the names of 545 people who went missing and are now believed to be in Syrian prisons, all of them victims of enforced disappearance during the 1975-1990 Civil War.

“These principles stem from the acknowledgement that Syria's interests are in seeing a relationship with Lebanon that is based on brotherhood, mutual respect, joint work, and mutual interests,” the SNC said.

The SNC also thanked the Lebanese people for their solidarity with the protestors, as well as their political, humanitarian, and moral support for the Syrian revolution.

Members of Lebanon’s March 14 coalition, led by former Prime Minister Saad Hariri, have voiced their support for the anti-government

uprising, criticizing President Bashar Assad’s brutal crackdown against protesters.
Assad attributes the escalating violence and number of deaths to armed groups he alleges have infiltrated Syria.