Israel being persuaded to return area to Lebanon

Madrid: Discussions are under way between Lebanon and international mediators here to pursuade Israel to hand over Shebaa farms to the Lebanese government, officials from the Lebanese delegation to the Madrid +15 Peace Conference said on Friday.

Terje Roed-Larsen, Special United Nations envoy for the implementation of Security Council Resolution 1559 told Gulf News that the UN is satisfied with Syria's public announcements in which it reiterated the right of Lebanese to Shebaa Farms and will work accordingly.

"According to maps available with the UN, Shebaa Farms is considered Syrian territory under Israeli occupation, but the conflict in Lebanon last summer has convinced different parties to finalise the issue of Shebaa even before Syria starts its peace negotiation with Israel," he said.

A Lebanese official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the Siniora government is keen to finalise the issue of Shebaa before another conflict breaks out between Hez-bollah and Israel over the disputed territories.

He said the UN and a number of western countries are helping out in solving the problem and the demarcation of a border line between Israel and Lebanon that covers Shebaa will be announced soon.

"The issue will require a Security Council resolution and an agreement among members of the council to achieve the goal. The new resolution will be linked with the execution of the 1559 and 1701 resolutions concerning Lebanon and Israel," he said.

"This is not a final peace agreement with Israel and will not impose any commitment on Lebanon towards the Hebrew state. It is a mere security arrangement to defuse tensions and help in the implementation of the recent UN resolution in Lebanon," he said.

According to some reports, Israel moved Ethiopian Jews, known as Fala-shas, to the Shebaa Farms in the 1980s.

The area includes a ski station and a military observation post.