This made negotiations more complicated. When negotiations over the Euphrates between Iraq. Syria and Turkey were initiated in the early 1980s, Turkey insisted on including the shared waters of the Orontes, while Syria at the time refused to discuss Orontes water with Turkey. The River Protection and Environmental Preservation Sub-Committee is responsible for coordinating and supervising issues related to river hydrology, river pollution and river infringements. The Sub-Committee for the Expropriation of Lands in the Vicinity of the Zeita Canals (Figure 9) addresses issues related to lands that straddle the Lebanese-Syrian border in the vicinity of the Zeita Dam.71 The parties have agreed that Syria is to compensate landowners for work related to the canals on Lebanese territory, while Lebanon is to enlist its local authorities to enforce the rule of law and prevent damage to the infrastructure of the canals.