Based on the Brotherhood, Cooperation, and Coordination Treaty between the Lebanese Republic and the Syrian Arab Republic signed in Damascus on May 22, 1991 and ratified by the Lebanese Chamber of Deputies on May 27, 1991 in Beirut, including its third, fifth, and sixth Articles, particularly Clause 5 of the sixth Articles, agreement has been reached on the following:
1. Structure
A defence affairs committee consisting of the two countries' defence
and interior ministers is to be formed. This committee will meet every
three months, alternating between the capital cities of Beirut and Damascus
or in any other location agreed upon, and will also meet whenever it is
deemed necessary. The committee may seek assistance from any of the chiefs
of the two countries' security authorities or from the chiefs of other
branches of the two ministries. The army will meet every month, alternating
between the capital cities and will meet whenever the need arises at an
agreed upon location to implement the defence and security committees'
programs and supervise their details.
2. Missions
The defence and security affairs committee is charged with studying
ways to safeguard the two states' security and with proposing joint plans
to confront any aggression or threat against their national security and
any disturbance that may upset either country's internal security.
In implementing the contents of Article III of the Brotherhood, Cooperation,
and Coordination Treaty, the following must be realized:
In an effort to reaffirm the two states' pledge and ensure that Lebanon
does not become a source of threats against Syria's security and vice versa,
the military and security authorities in the two countries must implement
the following:
A. Ban all military, security, political, and media activity that might
harm the other country.
B. Refuse to give refuge to, facilitate the passage of, or provide
protection to persons and organizations that work against the other state's
security. If such persons or organizations take refuge in either of the
two states, that state must arrest them and hand them over to the other
side at the latter's request.
C. To enable the military and security services in each of the two
states to carry out their duty of implementing the aforementioned Clauses
A and B, these services must meet regularly in each of the two countries
to exchange information involving all issues of strategic, national, and
internal security, including those related to drugs, major financial crimes,
terrorism, and espionage. The military and security services will coordinate
their work to follow up and resolve these issues within each country as
well as abroad, and will cooperate with international institutions as necessary.
All legal and procedural steps must be taken to facilitate the joint action
of the two states' authorities as part of the agreement to expedite the
adoption of legal prosecution and ways to solve these problems.
D. The two countries' defence ministries and their relevant departments
will meet every three months, alternating between the capital cities, and
as necessary, to exchange information on everything that concerns the two
countries' security and all hostile activities in an effort to reach a
mutual understanding on the dangers and their dimensions, and, consequently,
to draw up integrated plans at various levels to confront these dangers.
In this regard, the two Defence Ministries will establish joint organs
to follow up and supervise strategic coordination.
E. The two countries' Ministries of Defence and Interior will increase
the exchange of officers and troops through training courses at various
levels, including the exchange of military instructors in the military
colleges, in order to achieve a high standard in military coordination
and adequate familiarity to confront common threats.
F. The ministerial committee for defence and security affairs will
draw up the necessary plans to promote exchange and development in each
country's civil defence field.
3. Final Provisions
In addition to its tasks, the defence and security committee will do
the following:
--Follow up the implementation of all the provisions of the agreement
and give the necessary instructions to ensure its progress.
--Propose to the Higher Council the bases, principles, and regulations
that are bound to ensure full and effective implementation of the agreement.