A Hebrew University political science professor discusses the implications of including Shaba Farms as a possible item in an agreement authorizing a multinational force for South Lebanon in this article:
At the root of the issue is the simple fact that up to this very day Syria has not accepted the legitimacy of the existence of a separate, sovereign Lebanese state. Lebanon was carved out by the French imperial powers in the 1920s as an attempt to create a pro-Western, Christian entity in the Levant - hence France’s continuous solicitude for Lebanon, including its recent support for UN decisions calling on Syria to evacuate Lebanon.
And you thought Israel was the only official non-entity among some Arab governments in the Middle East.
The Syrian refusal to supply a document confirming the ceding of the Shaba Farms to Lebanon is not a mere formality: Were Syria to issue such a document - clearly stating that the farms are part of Lebanon and not of Syria - this would mean Syria recognizes Lebanon as a separate, independent, sovereign state.
Syria has never accepted this, and has never made such a statement.
Diplomats who are now concerned with a cessation of violence in South Lebanon and northern Israel should be aware of this conundrum, which is no mere formality.
If the Shaba Farms appears in any form as part of the deal, this should be accompanied by an unequivocal statement from Syria recognizing that the area belongs to the Republic of Lebanon.
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