On May 16, 1916, Great Britain and France concluded a secret agreement commonly, though unofficially, known as the “Sykes – Picot Agreement.” Embodied in notes exchanged between Great Britain, France and Russia, the Agreement actually delimited Ottoman territory into British and French spheres of influence. Without detailing the “Skyes – Picot Agreement,” key provisions included the partition of the entire Fertile Crescent into several zones, which influenced directly, the eventual delineation of not only the Jordan – Syria boundary but also included most of the other areas of former Ottoman Arab lands. For all practical purposes, (a) France assumed control of northern Syria which became Lebanon and Syria including “Damascus, … Continue reading U.S. Department of State