Lebanon-France Talks Address Contested Land Border with Syria

(MENAFN) Lebanese President Joseph Aoun held high-level talks with Vincent Giroud, Chief of Staff of the French Presidency, to discuss a Paris-backed initiative aimed at formally demarcating Lebanon's contested land border with Syria.

A statement issued by the presidency confirmed that Tuesday's meeting in Beirut addressed the state of Lebanese-Syrian relations alongside a French proposal to assist in resolving the long-standing border dispute — drawing on maps and archival documents held by France from the colonial mandate era.

The roots of the boundary conflict stretch back to the period when France redrew the regional map in line with its imperial ambitions, carving out what it designated the "State of Greater Lebanon (1920)" and Syria. The arbitrary demarcation that followed left behind overlapping territorial claims and unresolved disputes that joint bilateral committees have repeatedly failed to settle.

A significant step toward resolution emerged in mid-2025, when Lebanon's Foreign Ministry confirmed that Beirut had received from Paris copies of historical documents and maps pertaining to the border — material that could prove instrumental in advancing formal demarcation efforts.

The meeting also took up Israel's ongoing military conduct in Lebanon. According to the presidential statement, Aoun briefed his French counterpart on "Israeli hostile practices such as blowing up and bulldozing homes and attacks on civilians," noting that "the option of negotiations he has adopted aims to end the suffering of residents of the south in particular and the Lebanese in general."

The two sides further discussed "the phase following the withdrawal of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon from the country's south at the beginning of next year," with Aoun expressing Lebanon's welcome of France's willingness, along with other European countries, to maintain forces in the south to assist the Lebanese army in preserving security and stability.

The human toll of the conflict has been severe. Since March 2, Israeli attacks on Lebanon have killed 2,702 people and wounded 8,311, displacing more than 1.6 million — roughly one-fifth of the country's total population — according to the latest official figures.

Israel currently occupies portions of southern Lebanon — some held for decades, others seized during the 2023–2024 war — and has pushed approximately 10 kilometers inside the southern border since hostilities escalated.

MENAFN06052026000045017169ID1111074316