Syria and Lebanon seek to 'overcome past obstacles' in new security talks

Lebanese Interior Minister meets Syrian Foreign Minister in Bahrain

Security forces display about 12 million captagon pills after a drug bust in Damascus. Drug smuggling from Syria into Lebanon is a thorny issue with Lebanon.

Syria and Lebanon were holding talks on developing a security relationship on Sunday in their latest move to put past tension aside.

Lebanon's Interior Minister Ahmed Al Hajjar met Syria's Foreign Minister Asaad Al Shibani in Bahrain, where both men had been attending the IISS Manama Dialogue.

Few details were given but the Syrian ministry said Mr Al Hajjar and Mr Al Shibani “discussed ways to enhance bilateral co-operation between the two countries in the security and political fields”.

Syria and Lebanon are 'next pieces' in push for Middle East peace, US envoy says

Read More

The meeting was the latest sign of improving relations after years of difficulties. The former Bashar Al Assad regime in Syria occupied Lebanon until 2005, while fighters from Lebanon's Hezbollah later joined the civil war in Syria. There are also unresolved issues relating to drug smuggling and the fate of Syrian prisoners in Lebanese jails.

But both countries have relatively new governments – President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam took power in Lebanon early this year, while Syrian President Ahmad Al Shara led a rebel offensive that ended the Assad rule in December last year. Both have pledged reform and have a degree of US backing.

At a meeting in September, Lebanon expressed a “sincere desire for co-operation” during talks on smuggling and border control. That paved the way for Mr Al Shibani to visit Beirut last month, when a deal was announced on returning some Syrian prisoners in Lebanon.

Lebanon's Interior Minister Ahmad Al Hajjar, left, with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al Shibani in Bahrain. Photo: Sana

The Syrian minister said at that meeting that his country wants to “overcome past obstacles” with Lebanon, conceding that “both sides had been “victims of political mismanagement at certain times”. Lebanon said Mr Al Shibani had pledged not to interfere in its affairs.

Talks are also taking place on tackling drug smuggling, which both the Assad government and Hezbollah have allegedly used to raise funds. Last week, Syria seized about 11 million of Captagon pills on the border with Lebanon. The raid involved an “exchange of fire” between Syrian forces and drugs smugglers who fled back into Lebanon, Syrian authorities said.

The Lebanese government estimates about 1.5 million Syrians are in the country in total, though the figures are hard to verify.