Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam will visit Damascus on Saturday, May 9, 2026, at the head of a ministerial delegation, during which he will discuss with the Syrian authorities the files of prisoners, border control and illegal crossings, and the file of displaced Syrians in Lebanon, according to the London-based newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat.
On Thursday, the Lebanese Presidency of the Council of Ministers published a post on its account on the "X" platform that is in the process of visiting Syria at the head of a ministerial delegation, within the framework of strengthening bilateral relations, with a delegation that includes the Deputy Prime Minister, the Ministers of Economy and Trade, Public Works and Transport, and Energy and Water, to discuss and enhance areas of cooperation, each according to the ministerial portfolio he receives, and Lebanese-Syrian relations in general.
Lebanese Information Minister Paul Morcos said in remarks on Thursday that the Lebanese cabinet did not discuss the tension on the Lebanese-Syrian border in its meeting, stressing that the Lebanese and Syrian sides are addressing any issue that arises on sensitive topics with all realism and solutions are being found for it.
French initiative to demarcate the Syrian-Lebanese border
The visit of the Lebanese Prime Minister tomorrow comes after the visit of the French Chief of Staff, General Vincent Giroud, to Damascus and Beirut, during which he carried an initiative from his country to demarcate the Syrian-Lebanese border, where the French general discussed, last Tuesday, with Aoun, the details of the French initiative aimed at contributing to the demarcation of the land border between Lebanon and Syria, within the framework of a renewed diplomatic effort led by Paris.
The initiative is based on maps and historical documents from the archives of the French Mandate period (1920-1943), which Paris had previously handed over to the two parties, with the aim of facilitating the identification of overlapping border points and establishing clear technical foundations for the demarcation process.
According to official sources, through this step, France aims to end decades of border problems, strengthen Lebanese sovereignty, help control illegal crossings and curb smuggling, which will reflect stability on the border and the region in general.
Aoun: The file of the Shebaa Farms has been postponed to a later stage
The Lebanese President stressed the readiness of the Lebanese technical committees to start the land and sea demarcation process as soon as the decision is available to the Syrian side, noting that the Shab'a Farms file may be postponed to a later stage due to its regional complexities.
A statement issued by the Lebanese presidency said that the meeting at Baabda Palace discussed security and military coordination, the role of the Lebanese army in protecting the borders, in addition to the ongoing preparations for upcoming international conferences aimed at supporting Lebanese military institutions.
The French initiative includes a "technical package" that includes maps of the Mandate (1920-1943) and minutes of joint committees from 1933, which aim to demarcate the land border between Lebanon and Syria and determine land ownership, in addition to including a plan to control the borders through the activation of the Joint Technical Committee, and the development of official ports such as the Qamar Bridge to combat smuggling.