WASHINGTON - US President George W. Bush has urged US corporations to throw their weight behind efforts to help Lebanon recover from the devastating 34-day conflict between Hezbollah and Israel.

"Our goal, and our mission, is to help Lebanese citizens and Lebanese businesses not only recover, but to flourish, because we believe strongly in the concept of a democracy in Lebanon," Bush said.

The White House said the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) and Citibank were announcing a joint public-private effort of roughly 160 million dollars in private capital to help small and medium businesses in Lebanon.

That will come on top of about 230 million dollars in US aid to Lebanon, about 40 million of it to bolster the Lebanese army and the rest to provide emergency assistance to affected populations and begin the rebuilding process.

The president was meeting with business leaders he has asked to travel to Lebanon to assess the country's needs after the conflict sparked by the Lebanon-based Hezbollah Shiite militia in July.

"This is a very important mission for our country," said Bush, who has emphasized the need to help the frail government of Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora.

"Now private sector individuals and businesses will work together to send a clear message to the Lebanese people: 'We care about you; we want you to live in a free society; we've got great hopes for you; we believe in your Prime Minister, Prime Minister Siniora; and we will back up our words with actions.'"

Hezbollah, which Washington has branded a terrorist group, sparked the 34-day war by kidnapping two Israeli soldiers during a cross-border raid on an army post in northern Israel.

Israeli artillery and aerial bombardments during the ensuing conflict caused widespread devastation, destroying villages in southern Lebanon and urban neighborhoods as far away as Beirut, and knocking out key infrastructure.

The fighting stopped on August 14 after adoption of a UN Security Council ceasefire resolution that led to the deployment of Lebanese army troops backed up by international forces along the Lebanon-Israel border.

Since the truce, Hezbollah has played a leading role in reconstruction efforts in the worst hit areas of southern Lebanon, a development seen as undermining the national government.

Siniora has said the government needs billions of dollars to repair the destruction. A donor conference in Stockholm on August 31 received pledges of 940 million dollars in aid.

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