SYRIA: Syria reopens its northern crossing point on Lebanese border

Record ID: 279889

  • Title: SYRIA: Syria reopens its northern crossing point on Lebanese border
  • Date: 19th September 2007
  • Summary: (MER-2) AL-ARIDA, SYRIA (SEPTEMBER 18, 2007) (REUTERS) AL-AREEDA IMMIGRATION CENTRE EXTERIOR AND SIGN
  • Embargoed: 4th October 2007 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: International Relations
  • Reuters ID: LVA2XKFEETYPRURK49LXZL0W8RFL
  • Story Text: Syria reopened crossing points on the northern borders with Lebanon on Tuesday (September 18) after over three months of closure.
    Syria had closed the checkpoints of al-Arida and al-Dabbousiyyeh in May 2007, saying it wanted to curb the infiltration of militant Islamic fighters fleeing a battle with the Lebanese army in a northern Lebanese refugee camp.
    Nearly a month after Lebanese troops seized control of the Nahr Al-Bared refugee camp where they had been fighting insurgents, the Syrian Interior Ministry announced the reopening of the crossing points.
    Once the news was announced, both Lebanese and Syrian citizens flocked to the borders.
    "The border crossing point at al-Arida was re-opened after about one hundred days of closure. The reason for the closure was the recent events in Lebanon that we all followed," said al-Arida customs chief Mustafa Hawwa.
    Syrian Minister of Interior Bassam Abdul Majeed said new procedures have been put into place on both sides of the border crossing points.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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