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Lebanon and the Middle East

I thank the hon. Gentleman for bringing up that point. I was just about to come to it, because it represents the other side of the border dispute issue. As he rightly says, originally, Israel invaded Lebanon on behalf of its two captured soldiers, and the issue remains unresolved. Almost everyone in Lebanon told us that there are secret ongoing negotiations to find a resolution, and that attempts were being made to exchange prisoners. Shebaa farms might form part of an overall agreement that resulted in the release of those prisoners. However, again, I urge the Minister to do whatever he can on behalf of the British Government to secure at the earliest possible opportunity a prisoner exchange or some other final settlement. Smuggling of arms continues unabated, and we are told that Hezbollah rejects any calls to disarm. If we are to implement UN resolution 1701, we must address those issues. Sadly, inside Lebanon, they are contentious and a stalemate remains. It is therefore critical for the international community to play a more prominent role. Internationally, the key to both issues is dialogue with Syria—with Iran, too, but primarily, with Syria. I welcome the British Government’s overtures to the Syrians, and I hope that the Government draw Syria into a dialogue that leads to improvements in Lebanon and the implementation of resolution 1701.