Lebanese-Syria working towards agreement on prisoner release, legal cooperation: Deputy PM

"Positive" meetings were held in Beirut on Tuesday between Syrian and Lebanese officials, with progress reportedly made on the issue of Syrians detained in Lebanese prisons, as well as other shared issues between the two countries.

The meetings were attended by Syria's justice minister Mazhar al-Wais, Lebanese Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri, Lebanese Minister of Justice Adel Nassar, and a Lebanese judicial delegation.

Lebanese Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri told The New Arab's Arabic-language sister site Al-Araby Al-Jadeed: "Progress has been made on several issues, including Syrian detainees in Lebanese prisons, as well as on the monitoring of borders between the two sides, combating arms and drug smuggling, and coordinating the return of Syrian refugees to their country".

Mitri said a joint legal-judicial committee, attended by both countries' justice ministers, had held its third meeting on Tuesday, and was working on drafting a judicial cooperation agreement between the two countries, which had seen "significant progress".

This agreement would be used to resolve the issue of Syrian detainees in Lebanon, he explained, "whether through extradition, release or special amnesty".

The Syrian delegation had also visited Roumieh Prison, following an official request, and had met with several inmates.

"They sent a list of five or six inmates they wanted to visit, and we facilitated the visit. They met with the prisoners for about two hours and learned about their conditions and the situation in the prison," explained Mitri.

Syrian detainees in Lebanon are held on various charges, including fighting the Lebanese army and belonging to "terrorist organisations", and among them are defectors from the army of the former Syrian regime.

Mitri added that meetings were ongoing, and the next would involve a Lebanese delegation visiting Damascus, although a date had not yet been set.

"There has been progress on several fronts and there will be continued coordination between the two countries," he added, "as well as a review of previous agreements between Lebanon and Syria".

A source from the judicial delegation who preferred to remain anonymous described the meeting as "productive", adding that the Syrian delegation had made clear its wish to take custody of the Syrian prisoners in Lebanon, "particularly those considered prisoners of conscience who were detained for opposing the former Syrian regime".

They said Lebanon did not object to handing over such individuals, "provided legal procedures were adhered to. However, it insists on refusing to hand over certain detainees – especially those prosecuted for fighting against the Lebanese army".

While discussions focused primarily on the issue of Syrian detainees in Lebanese prisons, who number around 2,300, other issues were also discussed, including the case of missing and forcibly disappeared Lebanese citizens in Syria, as well as Lebanon's request to obtain information regarding political assassinations that occurred in Lebanon during the Assads' rule.

During a press conference held after the meeting, al-Wais revealed that progress had been made toward reaching a judicial cooperation agreement between the two countries, explaining that it would be "based on the principles of justice and mutual respect of sovereignty".

He noted that the talks also addressed Lebanese fugitives residing in Syria, in addition to older cases concerning security cooperation related to incidents that took place in Lebanon in previous periods.

For his part, Nassar said significant progress toward finalising the judicial cooperation agreement had been made, and clarified that it would not include handing over those involved in crimes of murder - whether of Lebanese civilians or soldiers – or rape.

Mitri pointed out meetings to follow up on the cases of Syrian detainees in Lebanon would be held alternately between Beirut and Damascus until the issue was resolved, and that other committees would be working on joint border issues and the issue of Syrian refugees, and various other issues of mutual interest.

The visit followed an official trip to Beirut last Friday by al-Wais, Syria's Minister of Foreign Affairs Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani, and General Intelligence Directorate chief Hussein Abdullah Al-Salama, as part of ongoing efforts to enhance political, security, and judicial cooperation between Lebanon and Syria.

During that visit, the Syrian delegation met with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, with both sides reaffirming their shared desire to open a new chapter of Syrian-Lebanese relations based on mutual respect, good neighbourliness, and independence in national decision-making.

This is an edited translation from our Arabic edition.