Subscribe to Print Edition | Sat., November 10, 2007 Cheshvan 29, 5768 | | Israel Time: 13:28 (EST+7)
Haaretz israel news English
web haaretz.com
  Back to Homepage
Print Edition
Diplomacy
Defense Arts & Leisure Real Estate Jewish World National Advertising
Magazine Week's End Business Opinion Rosner's Domain Anglo File Books Travel
Smoke billowing from the site of an IAF air strike on the disputed Shaba Farms area in 2005. (AP)
del.icio.us
Digg It!  new
Last update - 15:55 19/10/2007
Israel refuses to open talks with Lebanon over Shaba Farms
By Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondent
tags: Lebanon, envoy, Shaba Farms 

Israel has refused a recommendation by a United Nations ambassador to begin negotiations with Lebanon over the disputed Shaba Farms area. According to the envoy, Geir Pedersen, the United Nations is becoming increasingly convinced that Shaba Farms belongs to Lebanon.

During a meeting recently with Amos Gilad, the head of the Political-Military Bureau at the Defense Ministry, Pedersen said that "the UN believes that there is merit in the Lebanese claims of sovereignty over Shaba Farms."

T
Advertisement
he Norwegian diplomat stressed it would be beneficial if Israel initiated negotiations over this issue.

During the coming weeks the UN Security Council is expected to receive another report on the implementation of its Resolution 1701, which brought the Second Lebanon War to an end.

Pedersen authored the first report, which made no mention of Shaba Farms following intense Israeli pressure.

However, the several months hiatus this pressure bought Israel may be coming to an end following a series of meetings Pedersen held here recently with senior officials at the foreign and defense ministries and with the Israel Defense Forces.

The Shaba Farms, situated in a sensitive spot where the borders of Syria, Israel and Lebanon meet, has long been a point of contention but assumed added significance after Israel withdrew from southern Lebanon, because Hezbollah insists it is Lebanese territory still under Israeli occupation.

The farms are part of what was the French Mandate over the territory that today are Syria and Lebanon. The border was established in a 1923 agreement between Britain and France and was not precisely marked on the ground.

Following Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon, the Lebanese argued that Shaba Farms is part of their sovereign territory. However, after the IDF pulled out of Lebanon in May 2002 the UN maintained that the territory was part of the Golan Heights (part of Syria) and its future would be decided in negotiations between Damascus and Jerusalem.

After last year's war the efforts to clearly mark the border between Syria and Lebanon began. The two countries claim sovereignty over several border areas, including Shaba Farms. Since the border marking process began, Israel's position was that it would not discuss the sovereignty of Shaba Farms until a decision was made whether the area was Lebanese or Syrian.

In recent months, both Lebanon and Syria proposed that the disputed land temporarily be placed under UN control, until the demarcation of the border is completed. Israel refused.

During his meeting with Gilad, the UN envoy noted that the evidence boosts the Lebanese claims. Pedersen said it may be advisable for Israel to agree to separate negotiations with the government of Lebanon on the Shaba Farms to resolve the issue.

Gilad turned down the proposal, saying "we will not agree to resolving this issue separately. Every agreement with Lebanon will be part of a single package."

In recent months, Miklos Pinter, a UN cartographer, has been working on determining the size of the Shaba Farms area. His report has still not been completed.

However, it may be that in the upcoming report on Resolution 1701, some of the findings of Pinter's report will be included.

In a report to UN headquarters, Pedersen wrote that Israeli officials, including Gilad, were critical of Pinter's work claiming "there are technical mistakes in the UN work on the Shaba Farms issue."

Nonetheless, in Israel officials are confident that Pedersen's upcoming report to the Security Council will not require Israel to carry out significant steps in the matter.

"From our point of view this issue is off the agenda for good," senior political sources said. "There is no point in talking about this any more. We have no room to show flexibility on this matter because that only strengthen's Hezbollah and does not serve [Lebanon's Prime Minister Fouad] Siniora."


Related articles:

  • Syria willing to transfer disputed Shaba Farms to UN custody
  • UN to map disputed Shaba farms area on Israel-Lebanon border
  • UN chief: Debate on Shaba Farms ownership is premature


    Today in Haaretz:

  • Olmert visits Russia for talks on Iran's nuclear program
  • Israel refuses to recognize Greek Orthodox patriarch amid battle over J'lem property



    • Bookmark to del.icio.us
    Freedom of speech
    A Spanish court rules that the crime of Holocaust denial does not warrant a jail sentence.
    Road map to peace
    Israel and PA agree a future deal between them will hinge on implementing the road map.
      1.   In the immortal words of 04:51  |  Mark Lincoln 19/10/07
      2.   Despite all the rhetoric Syria has yet to officially agree 05:12  |  Genuine Tosefta 19/10/07
      3.   Whose land is it? 05:19  |  Omran 19/10/07
      4.   Obvious 05:20  |  ron 19/10/07
      5.   Shaba Farms 05:25  |  Jake 19/10/07
      6.   israel will NOT withdraw from shaba farms 05:34  |  VIPER 19/10/07
      7.   Israel`s Double Standard 05:57  |  Double Click 19/10/07
      8.   What`s the point of UN recognition if it refuses to back it up? 05:57  |  Gili 19/10/07
      9.   UN called for the return of our hostages in Lebanon 06:29  |  Dan 19/10/07
      10.   SHABA?WHOLE LEBANON IS PROMSED JEWISH HOLY LAND &WILL BE ISRAEL`S 06:35  |  VOICE of MOSHIACH))) 19/10/07
      11.   #2 GT failed to read Resolution 1701 06:42  |  Johnboy 19/10/07
      12.   #3 Omran needs some help 06:49  |  Johnboy 19/10/07
      13.   the UN wants EVERY INCH of Israel to be given away like salami 06:53  |  amir 19/10/07
      14.   Claim based on some grandfather pitched a tent on a Turk`s Lawn 07:02  |  Efox 19/10/07
      15.   #8 Hmmmm, Gili appears to be behind the times 07:03  |  Johnboy 19/10/07
      16.   re: Double Click 07:04  |  Efox 19/10/07
      17.   re: Omran 07:12  |  Efox 19/10/07
      18.   Norwegians still blame Israel for Oslo failure 07:28  |  Dr. Dave 19/10/07
      19.   Give Us Your Land, Decrease Your Security - Trust Me 07:29  |  J 19/10/07
      20.   UN ShmUN... 07:33  |  Fortuna Benmayor 19/10/07
      21.   What a stupid demand.Hand over Syrian land without Syrian consent 07:34  |  PETER S.M. 19/10/07
      22.   Re: Dan 07:38  |  100 % Lebanese 19/10/07
      23.   Get rid of Shaba, sooner the better 07:49  |  Esther 19/10/07
      24.   To Moshiach 07:50  |  JK 19/10/07
      25.   #9 Dan needs to take a class in "UNese English" 07:52  |  Johnboy 19/10/07
      26.   Mark Lincoln # 1 08:28  |  Philippe 19/10/07
      27.   You can`t have it. It`s ours, We`re keeping it. Sod off 08:29  |  Clickfool 19/10/07
      28.   NO off topic points 08:29  |  fadi 19/10/07
      29.   For Voice of Moshiach # 10 08:33  |  Clickfool 19/10/07
      30.   Even Israel Says it is not Israeli Land 08:41  |  Sam 19/10/07
      31.   Israels has two rules when dealing with the Arabs 09:03  |  Natallie Durson 19/10/07
      32.   Shaba Shame 09:34  |  Henon 19/10/07
      33.   For Natallie #21 09:43  |  Esther 19/10/07
      34.   What a joke the UN has become 09:44  |  Stan 19/10/07
      35.   #16 johnboy and the usual faux pas 09:44  |  victor hardman 19/10/07
      36.   Sheba is Lebanese - read Kaufman 09:48  |  Mod 19/10/07
      37.   From a sober point of view..... 09:48  |  Anton 19/10/07
      38.   Esther 09:53  |  Israeli 19/10/07
      39.   Norway can stick it! 09:56  |  Michael 19/10/07
      40.   Omran 09:56  |  Walid 19/10/07
      41.   Fadi, the typical anti-Israel Arab 09:58  |  Michael 19/10/07
      42.   @21 Durson 09:59  |  Ralph 19/10/07
      43.   Keep Shaba, but share Jerusalem...... 10:00  |  Swiss (Dino) 19/10/07
      44.   Clicky`s take on religion 10:04  |  Stan 19/10/07
      45.   oops, we made a mistake 10:12  |  Barry 19/10/07
      46.   For Stan, on the Funnies # 37 10:16  |  Clickfool 19/10/07
      47.   This is a bit blurred, to say the least 10:16  |  Yaakov Sullivan 19/10/07
      48.   For Barry, on UN mistakes 10:25  |  Clickfool 19/10/07
      49.   Fool Israelis. Build many homes above the empty farms, make fence 10:26  |  Tamir Palestine 19/10/07
      50.   michaels input 10:26  |  fadi 19/10/07
      51.   Re Israeli #31 10:26  |  Esther 19/10/07
      52.   Lets share the cake for the sake of peace in the region 10:30  |  Tamir Palestine 19/10/07
      53.   I am not a believer either Clicky, but... 10:37  |  Stan 19/10/07
      54.   #35 Victor needs some english lessons 10:42  |  Johnboy 19/10/07
      55.   Clickfool and Natallie 10:42  |  S 19/10/07
      56.   Israel and Irak 10:49  |  Aziz 19/10/07
      57.   Norway-a communist state 10:51  |  Rachel 19/10/07
      58.   #37 Anton thinks Israel was the first port of call... 10:55  |  Johnboy 19/10/07
      59.   #21 Man you are clueless PETER SM 11:08  |  Johnboy 19/10/07
      60.   Rachel on Statecraft of Norway #57 11:10  |  Yaakov Sullivan 19/10/07
      61.   Moshiach and Herzel`s doomed vision 11:14  |  Truths 19/10/07
      62.   Aziz, torture on minors & the like 11:24  |  Stan 19/10/07
      63.   number 10, who are you? 11:33  |  elsie 19/10/07
      64.   Fadi 11:36  |  Walid 19/10/07
      65.   UN bending backwards and shifting positions 11:38  |  Ehud 19/10/07
      66.   For S # 55 11:39  |  Clickfool 19/10/07
      67.   `read this 11:42  |  Ali 19/10/07
      68.   For Stan # 53 11:44  |  Clickfool 19/10/07
      69.   Darfour population less important than shena 11:44  |  trumpeldor 19/10/07
      70.   re: Esther 11:48  |  Efox 19/10/07
      71.   Israel is above international law 11:50  |  Stan 19/10/07
      72.   Shaba Farms 11:54  |  Peter XM 19/10/07
      73.   re: Swiss (Dino) 11:55  |  Efox 19/10/07
      74.   #54johnboy and again half a loaf! 11:56  |  victor hardman 19/10/07
      75.   Rachel on Norway`s politics 12:03  |  Stan 19/10/07
      76.   #25 videogameboy teaches "UNese English" 12:08  |  peter 19/10/07
      77.   Israel is absolutely right 12:10  |  Jonathan S 19/10/07
      78.   declare all of Golan part of Lebanon 12:14  |  rehovot 19/10/07
      79.