Ministerial sources on Monday scrutinized on a report submitted to the Security Council by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan last week, in which he indirectly referred to the Israeli-occupied Shebaa Farms as Syrian territory.
The reference to the Shebaa Farms came in a paragraph discussing security along the occupied Golan Heights, describing the area under the UN Disengagement Observers Force’s authority as generally calm over the past six months, with the exception of the “disputed Shebaa Farms sector on the Lebanese border.”
A ministerial source said Annan’s remark was meant as a reminder that the Shebaa Farms were Syrian, not Lebanese, territory. He added that his remark shows that Annan stands “not only against Lebanon, but also all Arab states that support Beirut’s position.”
Russia and the European Union, the source continued, have shown an understanding of Lebanon’s right and have advised Lebanon to liberate the Shebaa Farms through diplomatic means.
The source said that by adopting such a stance, Annan placed Lebanon and the other Arab countries in a state of constant confrontation with Israel, keeping the southern front volatile. He said the situation would remain the same since the five permanent members of the Security Council and Annan refused to consider the Shebaa Farms Lebanese.
It was Israel that claimed that the Shebaa Farms were Syrian territory when it occupied them during the 1967 war, ministerial sources insisted, adding that the aim behind this claim was to drive a wedge between Beirut and Damascus.
The sources added that Syria’s envoy to the UN, Mikhael Wehbe, had recognized that the Shebaa Farms were Lebanese territories in a letter addressed to Annan, which was not accepted by Annan, who contended the recognition had come in a general letter, not in an official document, as demanded.

Copyright © The Daily Star