Lebanon, Syria Presidents Agree on Treaty; Israel Objects

President Elias Hrawi on Friday won the support of Syrian President Hafez Assad for a treaty regulating the two nations’ ties.

Once ratified, the treaty will be the first to govern relations between the two countries since Lebanon’s independence from France in 1943. The document must be submitted to the Syrian and Lebanese parliaments for ratification before it becomes binding, but neither body is expected to challenge the decision.

Israel, whose chief Arab enemy is Syria, strongly objected to the pact. Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Arens told Israel Radio on Thursday that Syria was “turning Lebanon into another protectorate.”

After a lengthy session that stretched into early Friday, an official announcement in Damascus said Assad “welcomed the new and appropriate framework for the relations between the two states.”

Hrawi returned to Lebanon later and briefed Prime Minister Omar Karami on the agreement, a presidential statement said. Hrawi had traveled to Damascus on Thursday after his Cabinet approved the draft treaty.

Syria maintains 40,000 troops in Lebanon under a 1976 Arab League peacekeeping mandate. The Damascus government is backing Hrawi’s drive to end 16 years of civil war and restore government authority to the country.

Lebanese media Friday published the text of the six-point treaty. Two points deal with cooperation and coordination in various fields, especially the economy, education, trade, and foreign policy. The next three deal with security arrangements, including a plan for redeployment of the Syrian troops.

The final clause calls for establishment of a body headed by the presidents of the two countries to oversee implementation of the accord.