Siniora said Israel must leave the Shebaa Farms border area so his government could have authority over all its land and he asked President George W. Bush's help to achieve this goal.

"Israel should withdraw from all the territories that belong to Lebanon. This would be a very important step in the process we are taking so that we reach a point where Lebanon will be liberated from all Israeli occupation," Siniora said at the National Press Club in Washington.

Siniora, who discussed the issue with Bush this week, said during his speech at the National Press Club, the U.S. president had listened carefully and voiced "appreciation for our request."

Israel took control of the tiny region where Israel, Syria and Lebanon meet during the 1967 Middle East War. The United Nations and Israel both say Shebaa is Syrian land while Lebanon argues it belongs to them.

Asked whether the United States would put pressure on Israel over Shebaa Farms, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said the disputed territory was an issue for Syria and Lebanon to work out and not the United States.
He said public statements from both Syria and Lebanon indicated agreement the disputed territory belonged to Lebanon but Syria was not prepared to enter negotiations on this.

"Syria is all too happy to let the situation stand as it is, because in their view, there is no percentage in beginning a negotiation with Lebanon on this," said McCormack.

"So I think it is a fair assessment to say that they are the key stumbling block to resolving these issues," he added.

Lebanon says Israel's 2000 pullout from southern Lebanon was incomplete -- a claim that has allowed Hezbollah to continue to launch sporadic attacks on Israeli forces from there.

In a report on Tuesday, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Lebanon must set its borders with Syria and disband Hezbollah( a Shi'ite Muslim group Hezbollah is supported by Syria and financed by Iran) before it could be master of its own nation.

In turn, Annan said Syria should take up Lebanon's offer of establishing diplomatic relations as well as demarcating the entire 160-mile (250-km) boundary between the two countries.

But Syria has said it is premature to establish diplomatic ties with Beirut and has also refused to demarcate the border.

But today Foreign Minister Walid Muallem said in an interview on Al-Jazeera television:

"Syria cannot delineate the border of the Shebaa (Farms area) because it is occupied," He went on to say : "How could Syria carry out the task by sending people in by parachute to do it?"

But then he added :"Syria is prepared to demarcate its border with Lebanon from the north down to Shebaa, which is occupied and whose border we cannot draw." An offer that Syria made months ago, but when Lebanon asked Syria to start demarcating the borders, Syria refused.

On the UN call for Syria and Lebanon to establish diplomatic contacts, Muallem said: "If the two sides find that exchanging diplomats serves the interests of the two peoples, then the question can be studied." But again here, the Lebanese Prime Minister was authorized by all the Lebanese Leaders that attended the national Dialogue talks to take up this issue with the Syrian leadership in Damascus but Moallem refused to discuss this matter.

Syria withdrew its forces from Lebanon a year ago following a popular uprising after the assassination of former Lebanese Premier Rafik al-Hariri. Most Lebanese blame Syria for his death but Damascus denies any involvement and continues to be the obstacle in concluding the findings by the UN investigation commission.

Sources: Ya Libnan, Reuters