DAMASCUS - Syria's president has called on world powers not to intervene in neighbouring Lebanon, where pro- and anti-Damascus forces are locked in a political standoff, saying the Lebanese can resolve their own problems.

Bashar al-Assad was speaking during a meeting with US Senator Bill Nelson, a member of the powerful foreign relations and armed services committees, who is on a one-day visit to Damascus.

The two men "considered it important to activate a dialogue and to set up mechanisms for bilateral cooperation," state news agency SANA said Wednesday, only days after a top-level US panel called on President George W. Bush to begin talking with both Syria and Iran about the Iraqi situation and broader regional issues.

Assad called on the "international community to make all efforts with countries in the region to achieve security and stability in the Middle East."

In particular, he counseled against "intervening in the affairs of Lebanon, because the Lebanese are capable of understanding each other regarding their domestic issues."

Syria was the powerbroker in Lebanon for nearly three decades. It was forced to withdraw its troops last year amid a public outcry over the murder of former premier Rafiq Hariri, widely blamed on Syria but denied by it.

Pro-Syrian political forces are now seeking to bring down the Western-backed government over demands for greater power sharing, which the government sees as a ploy to reassert Syrian influence in the country.

Assad also affirmed Syria's policy "supporting a Middle East free of weapons of mass destruction, and the use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes," SANA said.

Nelson, a Florida Democrat, can expect to play a major role in influencing US foreign policy after his party gained control of both houses of Congress in mid-term elections last month.

He is the first US lawmaker since January 2005 to visit Syria. The country has been under US sanctions since May of the previous year because of its alleged support of terrorism and its role in Lebanese affairs. AFP