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Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem greeting his Spanish counterpart Miguel Angel Moratinos upon his arrival in Damascus in July. (AP)
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Last update - 11:42 26/09/2007
Syria willing to transfer disputed Shaba Farms to UN custody
By Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondent

Syria is willing to transfer the Shaba Farms to the custody of the United Nations as part of an effort to resolve the sovereignty dispute over the area, which is currently under Israel's control.

The new Syrian position was outlined in a letter to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon by Spain's Foreign Minister Miguel Moratinos, who visited Damascus last month.

Israeli political sources said Tuesday that Syria's offer is meant to put pressure on Jerusalem, which opposes any withdrawal from Shaba at this stage.

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Moratinos sent the letter to the UN secretary general two weeks ago, after discussing the matter with Syrian President Bashar Assad in Damascus.

In it, Moratinos, who was the European Union's special envoy to the Middle East before becoming Spain's foreign minister, wrote that Syria is willing to transfer the area to UN custody even before the international border between it and Lebanon has been fully demarcated. The UN has been engaged in marking the border for the past year.

Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora said last year that he would also like to see Shaba transferred to UN custody.

The Shaba Farms, situated in the foothills of Har Dov at the point where the borders of Israel, Lebanon and Syria converge, used to be part of the French Mandate in Syria and Lebanon. The border, which followed a 1923 agreement between Britain and France, was never precisely demarcated.

In May 2000, following Israel's withdrawal from south Lebanon, the UN ruled that Shaba was part of the Golan Heights, and was therefore Syrian rather than Lebanese. It also said that Shaba's future should be determined in negotiations between Israel and Syria.

However, Lebanon claimed that Shaba was within its sovereign territory, and this provided Hezbollah with a pretext for continuing its military operations against Israel, in order to liberate the "occupied territory."

Following last year's Second Lebanon War, the UN began marking the international border between Syria and Lebanon, mainly in order to resolve the dispute over which country actually owns Shaba. Israel's position has been that there should be no discussion of Shaba's future until the UN makes a final decision on precisely where this border lies.

"There is no change in Israel's stance on the matter," a source in the Prime Minister's Bureau told Haaretz on Tuesday. "First, the demarcation of the border must be completed."

Senior Foreign Ministry officials told a Moratinos aide who visited Israel last week that there should be no discussions on Shaba "at our expense." They also warned that an Israel Defense Forces withdrawal from the area at this time would undermine Israel's interests and constitute a "prize" for Syria's ally, Hezbollah.

Israeli sources expressed dissatisfaction Tuesday at the fact that Spain did not officially inform Israel about the Moratinos letter to Ban Ki-moon. Israeli diplomats learned of its content by chance during talks at the UN.

The letter may contribute to the growing tension between Israel and Spain, initially sparked by a meeting Moratinos held with Hezbollah's deputy secretary general, Naim Qassem. Following that meeting, a Moratinos visit to Israel that had been scheduled for earlier this month was postponed until October.

UN mapping expert Miklos Pinter, who has been busy delineating the border area near Shaba, visited Israel two weeks ago to meet his Israeli counterparts. Next month, the UN is expected to publish a new report on the situation between Israel and Lebanon, and Pinter's findings may be included in the document.

Israeli officials are concerned that this report could spark renewed discussion of which country has sovereignty over Shaba Farms.
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  1.   Shaba Farms 03:17  |  Brod 26/09/07
  2.   I will say this! 03:19  |  Brad 26/09/07
  3.   How to stick it up Israels anal orifice 03:35  |  Mark Lincoln 26/09/07
  4.   The key paragraph, says it all 03:55  |  Avrum 26/09/07
  5.   Wait, don`t budge...... 03:55  |  Lynn 26/09/07
  6.   custody 03:56  |  Shmuelshachor 26/09/07
  7.   Whats the problem? 03:57  |  wally 26/09/07
  8.   Opposes Withdrawal "At This Stage" 04:38  |  Efox 26/09/07
  9.   re: Brad on UN Security Guarantees 04:41  |  Efox 26/09/07
  10.   My land My strength 04:42  |  JR 26/09/07
  11.   No benefits to the enemies 05:15  |  bernard ross 26/09/07
  12.   to 8. efox 05:32  |  lebanese 26/09/07
  13.   re: Brod 05:48  |  Paulo 26/09/07
  14.   re: Brod 05:48  |  Paulo 26/09/07
  15.   UN takes control of shebba, what legal & security implications? 05:53  |  topanga 26/09/07
  16.   Has Lebanon transferred our hostages to Israel? 06:09  |  Dan 26/09/07
  17.   Give it back 06:21  |  steve 26/09/07
  18.   other farms 06:40  |  mack 26/09/07
  19.   Syria willing to transfer disputed Shaba Farms to UN 06:51  |  Martin List,M.D. 26/09/07
  20.   To Bernard # 11 Drink up!! 06:51  |  wally 26/09/07
  21.   Mark Lincoln Watching! 07:04  |  A.B. 26/09/07
  22.   Dan # 16 Sorry Dan you can rant and rave........ 07:09  |  wally 26/09/07
  23.   International law is absurd 07:18  |  David 26/09/07
  24.   Shaba Farms and Spain 07:19  |  Ricardo Lion 26/09/07
  25.   Blame it on Gutenberg 07:21  |  Natallie Durson 26/09/07
  26.   #19 , Martin is TOTALLY RIGHT !! 07:49  |  David 26/09/07
  27.   Re A.b 08:00  |  anthony 26/09/07
  28.   To the Lebanese 08:03  |  Anthony 26/09/07
  29.   response to Wally: `what is the problem?` 08:20  |  Witheld 26/09/07
  30.   "Syria ready ..." 08:26  |  John 26/09/07
  31.   Israel must not cave in to UN. Golan is annexed and that should 08:45  |  Reuven 26/09/07
  32.   To Dan 09:08  |  Mike 26/09/07
  33.   Shaba is in Biblical Israel"..From Sidon..." 09:09  |  sam 26/09/07
  34.   Shebaa Belongs To Israel 09:09  |  Da Calif 26/09/07
  35.   What is the problem Israel? 09:15  |  S 26/09/07
  36.   To Martin List, M.D - some funny logic there... 09:16  |  Mike 26/09/07
  37.   This is an opportunity for Israel 09:21  |  Wonderer41 26/09/07
  38.   Efox, Syria doesn`t need Golan to rocket Israel. 09:24  |  spyguy 26/09/07
  39.   ISRAEL IS RIGHT. 09:26  |  M 26/09/07
  40.   did I read correctly? 09:53  |  leven5 26/09/07
  41.   #25 the ludicrous natallie writes hypocritcally from the us a 09:57  |  victor hardman 26/09/07
  42.   how do you say b--ger off in syrian? 10:05  |  harzion 26/09/07
  43.   Opportunities 10:06  |  Outsider 26/09/07
  44.   moratinos was arafat`s doorkeeper 10:07  |  yirmiyahu 26/09/07
  45.   does syria think these cheap carpet market tricks 10:08  |  yaheskel 26/09/07
  46.   And why does Israel WANT to hang on to Shaba? 10:17  |  Johnboy 26/09/07
  47.   To Paolo 10:19  |  Real Lebanese 26/09/07
  48.   Asher Kaufman says Sheba wrongly placed in Syria 10:28  |  Mod 26/09/07
  49.   OF COURSE BECAUSE IT DOES NOT BELONG TO SYRIA ?? 10:54  |  Bill 26/09/07
  50.   Clarification 11:01  |  Rabs 26/09/07
  51.   #3 - Read the post right after yours... 11:04  |  JES 26/09/07
  52.   Syria is willing 11:05  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 26/09/07
  53.   Spain should transfer Ceuta and Melina to Morocco instead 11:05  |  Absolute Sweden 26/09/07
  54.   Very very clever move 11:22  |  Chris Linthwaite 26/09/07
  55.   #3 the lincoln just crashed into the usual pile of manure 11:32  |  victor hardman 26/09/07
  56.   UN Taking Way Too Long As Usual 11:44  |  Jane 26/09/07
  57.   #48 Absolute Sweden 11:48  |  Chris Linthwaite 26/09/07
  58.   Israel Does Not Need or Want Shabba 11:50  |  Jane 26/09/07
  59.   17 STEVE NEGATIVE 12:06  |  JON FEIGENBAUM 26/09/07
  60.   johnboy "the un cartographer says it is lebanese" 12:17  |  zebulun 26/09/07
  61.   johnboy "lebanese hate israel`s guts" 12:18  |  zebulun 26/09/07
  62.   johnboy i am interested that an australian 12:21  |  zebulun 26/09/07
  63.   #33 ISREAL INSTIGATED THE CONFLICT-SAYS WHO? 12:26  |  JON FEIGENBAUM 26/09/07
  64.   #41 Hardhead the settler in belfast complains 12:46  |  Labhras 26/09/07
  65.   time is running out... 12:49  |  ravi 26/09/07
  66.   Mike/Sydney 12:50  |  Israeli 26/09/07
  67.   S 12:52  |  Jasmine Murphy 26/09/07
  68.   #3 12:53  |  Moshe 26/09/07
  69.   #60 Zebulun 12:59  |  Chris Linthwaite 26/09/07
  70.   #25 13:05  |  Moshe 26/09/07
  71.   It`s not their`s, but they`re willing to give it up? 13:26  |  David Teich 26/09/07
  72.   Why Israel and Hezbollah want the Shebaa Farms 13:34  |  Reality 26/09/07
  73.   ravi you are from a basket case nation 13:41  |  westernghats 26/09/07
  74.   ravi when will you stop persecuting oppressing and 13:44  |  harijan 26/09/07
  75.   Time is running out 13:51  |  Petra 26/09/07
  76.   How Israel jams Arse of enemies 13:55  |  Petra 26/09/07
  77.   #58 Jane 13:55  |  Chris Linthwaite 26/09/07
  78.   THERE`S ONLY A MINOR PROBLEM HERE 13:56  |  Robert 26/09/07
  79.   Syria and Lebnon, peace amkers? In your dreams 14:00  |  Petra 26/09/07
  80.   #64 labarse confused after a bottle of jamiesons 14:01  |  victor hardman