Zoaiter Says to Meet Syrian Counterpart to 'Activate Agreements, Open Crossings'

Agriculture Minister Ghazi Zoaiter revealed that he will soon meet with his Syrian counterpart to start the “implementation of agreements and open crossings between the two countries,” the National News Agency reported on Monday.

“Agreements talks between Lebanon and Syria during our visit to Syria's Damascus International Fair and our meeting with the Syrian prime minister and ministers of trade and agriculture were good,” said Zoaiter.

He said he will soon meet with the Syrian agriculture minister “to continue discussions, put agreements into implementation and open the crossings, especially after the opening of crossings between Syria, Jordan and Iraq.”

Zoaiter and Industry Minister Hussein Hajj Hassan attended an industrial fair in Damascus in August in the first high-level visit since the outbreak of Syria's war.

Al-Haj Hassan said he and Zoaiter had received invitations to the Damascus International Fair, which opened on August 16.

The controversial visit was dubbed by some Lebanese parties “as an attempt to normalize ties with Syria,” while others, namely Hizbullah party saw it as a “normal measure.”

Zoaiter said that ties with Syria are not “broken,” stressing that Lebanon has adopted a “dissociation policy” towards Syria which he said must not affect the “agriculture exports,” since “merchandising agricultural produce is our duty as a ministry.”

The visit has sparked widespread debate in the government, which has stressed that Zoaiter and al-Hajj Hassan have made the visit on their “personal capacity.”

Relations between Lebanon and Syria have deteriorated since 2005 after the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.