be to agree to border demarcation.

U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan has sent a letter to Prime Minister Fouad Siniora saying that in order to transfer the sovereignty of the disputed Shabaa Farms to Lebanon there should be a border demarcation agreement between Lebanon and Syria.

Syria therefore should show statesmanship by taking the initiative of inviting Siniora to Damascus and formulating an agreement in which Syria agrees in writing that the Shebaa farms are Lebanese.

It is obvious from Annan's letter that the UN is ready to consider the farms as Lebanese. It is also obvious from the letter that Israel will withdraw if there was an agreement on this issue between Lebanon and Syria. The only obstacle at this stage is Syria.

Commenting about Annan's letter PM Siniora said yesterday:

"The letter was important in clarifying that the case is limited to Syria and Lebanon and needs to be agreed upon by these two sides only,"

Siniora had presented the letter to the country's top leaders on Thursday , during the meeting of the national dialogue.

Annan's letter comes in response to an earlier request made by Siniora during his trip to New York last April. In his request Siniora asked for a "recommendation for solutions on the Shebaa Farms".

Annan's letter was a confirmation that the issue should be discussed strictly between and agreed to by Syria and Lebanon.

In the letter, Annan said that "there now appears to be a will" by Lebanon and Syria to establish the ownership of the Shebaa Farms as Lebanese.
Annan wrote that "the most direct and effective method of transferring sovereignty" to Lebanon was the "determination of the precise geographic scope of the Shebaa Farm lands," and that "demarcation
on the ground could follow as soon as circumstances permit."

"The Lebanese national dialogue has reaffirmed the willingness of the Lebanese to establish the Shebaa Farm lands as Lebanese," Annan wrote in the letter. "I have also taken note of the recent statements made by the president, the vice president, and the foreign minister of the Syrian Arab Republic to the effect that the Shebaa Farm lands are to be considered as Lebanese."

The issue of the farms is a critical point in stabilizing the security situation in Lebanon and in improving the Lebanese Syrian relations. As long as this issue is not solved Hezbollah, which is supported by Syria and funded by Iran will refuse to hand over its arms...this could lead to a civil war and the war could spread to Syria this time.

PM Siniora showed statesmanship by declaring yesterday that the Shebaa Farms dispute would be resolved between "Syria and Lebanon only, excluding Israel." As recommended at the national dialogue meetings earlier this year he asked Syria to invite him to Damascus to finalize this issue , but Syria refused.

Will president Assad pick up the phone and call PM Siniora to invite him to Damascus to sign an agreement on Shebaa? It is Assad's unique opportunity to show maturity and statesmanship. It is Assad's opportunity to improve the relations between Lebanon and Syria. It is time to start a new page in Lebanon , Syria relationship.

The people of Lebanon and Syria are tired of the current state of affairs between the two countries... enough is enough... an agreement on Shebaa could be the first step in improving the relations.

By: Ali Hussein
Ya Libnan Volunteer