U.S., France call on Syria to mark border with Beirut

UNITED NATIONS - The United States and France circulated a new resolution Thursday calling on Syria to respond positively to Lebanon's request to establish diplomatic ties and mark their border.

The draft endorses a recent report by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan that urged Iran as well as Syria to cooperate in trying to restore Lebanon's political independence and disarm militias, the first time the UN chief linked Tehran to instability in Lebanon.

It noted the "close ties, with frequent contacts and regular communication," that Lebanon's Hezbollah guerrillas, who are listed as a terrorist group by the United States, have with Syria and Lebanon.

Without mentioning Iran by name, the proposed resolution calls on "all concerned states and parties as mentioned in the report to cooperate fully with the government of Lebanon, the Security Council and the secretary-general" to fully implement all requirements of a council resolution adopted in September 2004.


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