UNITED NATIONS - United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Friday that he was happy with "visible" progress made by Syria in withdrawing its forces from Lebanon but the militia there had yet to be disarmed in line with a Security Council resolution.

Annan was speaking after a UN Security Council meeting on implementation of Resolution 1559, which calls for Syrian troops and intelligence agents to leave Lebanon immediately and demands the disarming of militias, referring to Hezbollah.

Annan told reporters at the UN that since Syrian forces had been asked to withdraw, the disarmament would have to be carried out by the Lebanese government.

"Hopefully the groups concerned will agree to disarm themselves and cooperate with the Lebanese authorities because it is not going to be an easy task if it has to be done by force or imposition," he said. "I would hope governments that have influence in the region and can help in the process would do so."

The Syrian- and Iranian-backed guerrilla group Hezbollah has refused to lay down its weapons. Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah on Monday repeated the stance that the UN resolution did not apply because the group was not a militia but "a resistance movement)."

His envoy, Terje Roed-Larson earlier Friday gave a report to the Security Council on the implementation of Resolution 1559.

"It was the Lebanese Civil war that led to the deployment of foreign forces on Lebanese territory. Now, 30 years after the eruption of the Civil War, a full and complete Syrian withdrawal from Lebanon would represent a significant and important step towards drawing a final line under the saddest chapter in Lebanese history," he said.

Syria sent troops to its smaller neighbor in 1976 to help quell what was then a year-old civil war, but the troops remained after the war ended in 1990. But Damascus came under relentless international pressure to withdraw which intensified after the February 14 assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri.

Annan said be believed the team he sent earlier this week to verify the withdrawal of Syrian troops would be able to do the job.

Annan also said the UN would monitor the upcoming elections in Lebanon, the first round of which are set for May 29. Annan has said any delay in the elections would threaten the security, stability and prosperity of the country.

On Monday officials from UN Security Council members will discuss their reaction to Annan's report on the implementation of Resolution 1559. (AP)