Syrian official: Shebaa Farms not priority

DAMASCUS, Syria, June 20 (UPI) -- A Syrian official involved in indirect talks with Israel says Syria doesn't consider resolving the Shebaa Farms issue to be a priority.

The source said Syria would rather avoid the issue of sovereignty over Shebaa Farms, which is located on the border of Lebanon and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, Ynetnews reported Friday.

"How can Lebanon negotiate over Shebba Farms while it doesn't even have documentation supporting its rights to it?" the Syrian source said. "Does it make any sense to ask Syria to accept the border demarcation? And if Lebanon is on one side who will be on the other? Syria or Israel? If the territory is Syrian, Israel must return it. The Israelis expect us to be accommodating and solve their problem, but what is in it for us?"

The official spoke after reports that U.S. and French leaders support a plan to transfer control over the disputed area from Israeli to U.N. control. The official said the proposal "raises questions, since the U.S. stance is unclear as far as Syria is concerned."