Syria clears roadblocks for some Lebanese trucks after ban

Lebanon has secured temporary exemptions for freight vehicles hauling certain goods after a recent ban by Damascus on foreign trucks.

Damascus had issued a decision on Saturday stipulating that "non-Syrian trucks will not be allowed to enter" the country, and that goods being imported by road must be unloaded at specific points at border crossings.

The decision exempts trucks that are only passing through Syria to other countries.

Lebanese and Syrian will now unload and reload goods at a joint zone along the border, Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said, with a temporary mechanism put in place to regulate movement over seven days.

However, goods transported in tankers, hazardous materials, cement, raw materials for cement production, as well as meat and pharmaceuticals will be exempt from these border transfers.

The deal will also allow the one-time entry of trucks that have been stranded at the border since the ban took effect, Ahmad Tamer, head of land and maritime transportation at the Lebanese transport ministry told AFP.

The two sides will meet again before the end of the seven-day deadline to evaluate the situation.

Lebanon sends around 500 trucks to Syria per day, according to Tamer. Syria is the only land route Lebanon can use to export merchandise to wealthy Gulf markets.

Jordan, which is also affected by the ban, has yet to reach an agreement with Damascus, transport ministry spokesperson Mohammed al-Dweiri told AFP.