Lebanese President Calls for Ending Occupation of Shibaa Farms and Kafr Shuba Hills

Beirut, (SANA) – Lebanese President Michel Suleiman affirmed on Monday the importance of Lebanese-Syrian relations based on mutual interests that bring the two countries and their people together.
In a statement after meeting British Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs David Miliband, President Suleiman affirmed Lebanon's right to restore sovereignty on the Israeli-occupied Shibaa Farms and Kafr Shuba Hills.
He called on the United Kingdom and the international community to pressure Israel for the completion of the implementation of UN resolution 1701, end Israeli air and land violations of Lebanese sovereignty, and solve the issue of the occupation of al-Ghajar.
President Suleiman also called for finding a just solution to the Palestinian issue that preserves the Palestinian people's right of return to their homeland, stressing that there can be no peace in the region without a just solution that reflects positively on Lebanon and Palestinians in it.
He stressed that he will be presiding over the Lebanese national dialogue talks sessions in order to settle on the points of disagreement among the Lebanese

http://www.sana.sy/eng/22/2008/06/09/178491.htm

Suleiman to host Sarkozy for talks on ending Occupation of Shibaa Farms and Kafr Shuba Hills


It is time for ending occupation. End occupation of Shibaa Farms and Kafr Shuba Hills

 

Summary of the current dispute

Israel captured the Shebaa Farms concurrent with capturing the Golan Heights from Syria in 1967 during the Six Day War. Lebanon was not an active participant in the war. Israel considered the Shebaa Farms to be part of Syria,[2] and subsequently extended Israeli law to the region when it annexed the Golan Heights in 1981.[3] The United Nations Security Council declared this extension of "[Israeli] laws, jurisdiction and administration... null and void and without international legal effect" in the non-binding Resolution 497.

A controversy arose following the withdrawal of Israeli troops from occupied territory in Southern Lebanon on May 25, 2000. On June 18, 2000, the United Nations affirmed that Israel had withdrawn its forces from Lebanon, in accordance with Resolution 425.[4] Syria and Lebanon disputed the United Nations certification that Israel's withdrawal from Lebanon was complete. Hezbollah cites the ongoing occupation of the Shebaa farms as the basis for its continued attacks on Israel.

For decades members of the international diplomatic community have repeatedly requested that Syria and Lebanon take steps to determine the exact boundary between them in the Shebaa Farms region and elsewhere, including officially registering the demarcated border with the United Nations. However, recently President Bashar al-Assad of Syria has refused to do so until Israeli troops withdraw.[5]. On October 31, 2007, the definition of the physcial extent of the Shebaa Farms area by former UN cartographer Miklos Pinter was released by the UN [6]. This could be a prelude to an eventual negotiated determination of the political destination of that territory.[7] from WIKI

. . .

The region continued to be represented in the 1930s and 1940s as Syrian territory, under the French Mandate. Detailed maps showing the border were produced by the French in 1933, and again in 1945.[9] They clearly showed the region to be in Syria.

After the French Mandate ended in 1946, the land was administered by Syria, and represented as such in all maps of the time.[10]

The maps of the 1949 Armistice Agreements between Syria and Israel also designated the area as Syrian.

Border disputes arose at times, however. Shebaa Farms was not unique; several other border villages had similar discrepancies of borders versus land ownership. Syria and Lebanon formed a joint Syrian-Lebanese border committee in the late 1950s to determine a proper border between the two nations. In 1964, concluding its work, the committee suggested to the two governments that the area be deemed the property of Lebanon, and recommended that the international border be reestablished consistent with its suggestion. However, neither Syria nor Lebanon adopted the committee's suggestion, and neither country took any action along the suggested lines. Thus, maps of the area continued to reflect the Farms as being in Syria.[10] Even maps of both the Syrian and Lebanese armies continued to demarcate the region within Syrian territory.[10]

A number of local residents regarded themselves as Lebanese, however. The Lebanese government showed little interest in their views. The Syrian government administered the region, and on the eve of the 1967 war, the region was under effective Syrian control.

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Lebanon and Syria need to let the world know what they each claim as their border. They refuse to do so as it allows them to play a game with the border and the international community.

Who do you think that land belongs to? Syria or Lebanon or Israel?

 

Shebaa Farms is just another Hezbollah excuse to attack Israel.

 

WMD is just another USA excuse to attack Iraq.

 

Sadaam attacked Kuiwat, the Kurds, the Shia and Iran.

 

And while he was targeting Iranian hospitals with chemical weapons he was big US friend.

 

Irrelevant to the point.

 

The fact remains: US supported Sadam while he was targeting Iranian hospitals with chemical weapons. You may continue now.

 

Fact remains that it is irrelevant to the point.

 

I agree that we were wrong to go into iraq and i also agree that sheba farm is another excuse for hezbolla to attack isreal but not for hezbollas purpose. Hezbolla is irans proxy in lebanon and if you notice that the war in 2006(which was started by hezbolla) was during a time of great american military rhetoric against iran and the hariri tribunal against syria. This war bought just enough time for both iran and syria. It served its purpose well.

Sheba farms is a land the size of my thumb. Correct me if im wrong but didnt isreal withdraw allready from that area? Also we supported saddam and even had rumsfield shake his hand when he was actively gassing tens of thousands of kurds.
Lets just call a spade a spade folks and say both hezbolla is irans proxy and america destroyed iraq

Brownkiwi i have to disagree . It is a very relevant point he brought up .

President sulieman could turn out to be a pretty good president if he can solve the sheba farms issua and get hezbolla to act lebanese for once and not iranian or syrian or american.

 

Thraxed, we are talking about Lebanon and Israel, not USA and Iraq. Stop attack when you don't have something to say!

 

And the fact still remains: he was your friend while he was targeting Iranian hospitals with chemical weapons. That fact tells us a lot about you and it's relevant every single time when we're talking about any conflict in the world. It shows us who is biggest hypocrites on planet earth and how you judge conflicts depending which side in conflict you support. Sadam was the same guy at time US supported him and was same guy US attacked his country and hanged him. Same guy doing same things! Hypocrites!

 

The land doesnt belong to israel , it is clear. Lebanon and Syria can talk with each other, and solve that issue. The size of land doesnt change anything, it still called an occupation .
If President Sulieman can solve this problem it would be very good

 

Why should a country that follows the ideals of "rational thinking" lower themselves to the standards of countries of crazy religious dogma?

 

How is Hezbollah Irans proxy, you know, just because they provide them weapons does not mean they are a proxy. If every ally was considered a proxy then 98% of the countries in this world is a proxy for the USA and 7 year old kids are proxies for priests.

Hezbollah is a relevant force and is needed in Hezbollah, they keep the balance, without them the USA would be in total control. Israel still occupies the Shebba farms and Hezbollah have not disarmed because Israel still are posing a threat to Lebanon by constantly invading airspace and causing mischief, i can imagine when Israel becomes more peaceful they can get a deal for Hezbollah disarming

 

God forbid if freedom got in control. Let's hope those terrorist keep a balance. What is wrong with you? We're talking about people that kill gay people because they are gay.

 

Yeah, because there is freedom in Iraq now right? or there is freedom in the USA where millions are on foodstamps? and they rig elections? and don't let black people vote?

We are talking about Hezbollah here, not Iran. I think you are majorly confused. Also, Iran have not killed gays in a long time, they have moved forward, they pay for sex changes for homosexuals.

 

You're so stand offish. That usually means you don't have a point. Did I ever say I supported military action in Iraq? No. You know why? Because I don't. DRRRRRR. People on food stamps have freedom. Rig elections? Okay, got proof? Florida didn't let some black people vote. Take it up with them.

We're talking about people who think that the Koran is the only thing people should follow.

Don't try rationalize dangerous ideologies. Would you say that about Nazism? "Hitler hasn't been killing Jews for a while."

 

Hilarious that you are arguing on Iran's behalf and think this makes Iran look good. Iran is so advanced and civilized, this is the behavior you admire? Are you going to tell everyone how good the Jews and gays have it in Iran?

 

Actually, the Jews do have it good in Iran. Look at pizzaman's thread on that for more info. I'm not defending Iran, just adding some balance to the hawkish and rediculous false posts that you and your neocon friends make about countries that you are scared of.