Deal reached on border control

BEIRUT — Lebanese politicians overcame divisions yesterday to agree at their rst National Dialogue meeting to give the army nancial resources to try to prevent violence from spilling over the border.

The country has seen clashes between supporters and opponents of the uprising against Syrian President Bashar al Assad and the border region has been used by rebels to smuggle arms into Syria and take refuge from Syrian troops.

“(Leaders agreed to) support the army on both the moral and nancial levels given that it is the only institution capable of preserving civil peace,” said a statement issued by President Michel Suleiman, who called the meeting.

The statement said the 17 leaders had agreed on the need to “control the situation along the LebaneseSyrian border and prevent the creation of a buffer zone in Lebanon or use Lebanon as a route, headquarters, or an area of smuggling arms or armed men”.

Lebanon’s politicians are at odds with each other over the Syrian revolt, with Shi’ite Muslim Hizbullah supporting Assad and others the opposition.

Most agree that Syria’s crisis has the potential to destabilise Lebanon, which suffered 15 years of civil war.