Syria trying to strangle Lebanese economy, US says

UNITED NATIONS - Syria's closure of its border to Lebanese trucks aims to strangle the Lebanese economy and is a sign Damascus is still trying to dominate Beirut, a US official has told the UN Security Council.

Washington was "deeply concerned" by Syria's move to ban trucks, which carry most of Lebanon's exports, from crossing its borders, said William Brencick, a political counsellor in the US Mission to the United Nations.

"This is yet another example of Syria interfering in Lebanon. The Syrian government is signalling not only to the Lebanese, but to the rest of the world, that it is still trying to call the shots there," Brencick said during a council debate on the Middle East.

Syrian customs officials say they have had to tighten border controls on security grounds, bringing to a halt hundreds of Lebanese trucks carrying everything from cherries for Jordan to cement for Iraq.

Lebanon's 250-km eastern and northern border with Syria is its only land outlet, with Lebanon's southern border closed since Israel was created in 1948.

Relations between Beirut and Damascus have soured following the withdrawal of Syrian forces in April under international pressure after the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri in a Beirut bombing.

Opposition figures blamed Syria for his death, although Damascus has denied any role.

Syria's clampdown underscored the need for the two neighbours to establish normal diplomatic ties with one another, Brencick said.

While the United States welcomed legitimate efforts to block terrorists and illicit trade, "this is clearly an attempt by the Syrian government to strangle the economy of Lebanon," he said.

- REUTERS