Damascus admits Shabaa farms as Lebanese

Both the Syrian and Lebanese sides expressed their satisfaction over the results of the meeting which was held between the Syrian foreign minister Farouk al-Sharaa and the Lebanese prime minister Fouad Sinioura on the sideline of the Euro-Mediterranean summit in Barcelona, Spain as a step towards opening a new page in bilateral relations.

The Syrian minister said that the meeting was positive and constructive, noting that the talks dealt Syria's care to maintain Syria's security and stability, in the context of the two states independence. He added "we have laid new foundations for the relations between our two countries and President Bashar al-Assad will be pleased over the results of the meeting." For his part, al-Sinioura stressed the desire to establish "healthy and good relations ' with Syria for the interests of the two states.

In this regard, the Syrian foreign minister said in the speech he delivered before the EU-Mediterranean summit that Shabaa farms are Lebanese. For his part, the Lebanese prime minister Sinioura said that Lebanon will work for liberating these farms from the Israeli occupation.