BEIRUT, Lebanon - A Lebanese mobile force helped by German experts will soon be formed to stop illegal arms trafficking across the Lebanese-Syrian border, Information Minister Ghazi Aridi said Monday.

The aim was also to stop the possible arming of various Lebanese and non-Lebanese groups as well as the illegal entry of some 'foreign extreme Jihadists (strugglers)', he said.

'The force, composed of soldiers, security agents and customs officers, will be assisted by German experts, and will be charged with controlling the northern border with Syria,' Aridi said.

Germany would supply Lebanon's customs authorities with equipment such as hi-tech scanners, in accordance with an agreement reached between the two countries last week.

The Lebanese cabinet has approved the forming of the force in a session on Saturday.

The assistance falls within the scope of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, which on August 14, 2006, ended 33 days of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, and called for the prevention of illegal arms sales and smuggling into Lebanon.

Illegal arms traffic into Lebanon across the Syrian border, mainly to the Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah, is reported to be taking place on a regular basis, according to UN reports.

In a report earlier this year to the UN Security Council, UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon said reports of arms shipments, including 'detailed and substantial' reports from Israel, showed that transfers of arms through the Syrian border into Lebanon were taking place 'on a regular basis.'

'I am deeply worried that the political crisis in Lebanon may be deepened and exacerbated by arms smuggling, most of which are reported to reach the opposition Shiite Muslim Hezbollah movement,' ban was quoted as saying.

Ban was reporting on resolution 1559, adopted in 2004 that called for all foreign forces to withdraw from Lebanon and for the Beirut government to assert its control throughout the country.

Syria has repeatedly denied any involvement in arms trafficking and told Ban during his April 24 trip to Damascus that it would work with the United Nations toward peace and stability in the region.

But a UN assessment team sent by the Security Council two months ago said weapons were apparently pouring across the Syrian border into Lebanon, and that Lebanese troops and the UN peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon had been unable to stem the flow.

Lebanon is going through its worst political crisis since the 1975-90 civil war, marked by a series of murders of anti-Syrian figures and a war against Moslem militants in northern Lebanon.

The anti-Syrian ruling majority has blamed Syria for all the instabilities in Lebanon starting by the 2005 assassination of former premier Rafik Hariri. Syria has so far denied any involvement in any violence in its smaller neighbour.

A source close to the anti-Syrian camp stressed on the necessity of demarcating the Lebanese-Syrian border, a close monitoring of all borders, and balanced diplomatic relations to be established between Beirut and Damascus in order 'to affirm strict respect for Lebanon's sovereignty and territorial integrity.'

Many Lebanese observers believe that if the borders with neighbouring Syria are not closely controlled by the Lebanese authorities, there is a growing threat from armed extremist Islamist groups who have found safe haven in Palestinian refugee camps.

These include Fatah al-Islam, who have been engaged in bloody battles with the Lebanese army since May 20 in northern Lebanon.

'The security breakdown inside Lebanon is creating a breeding ground for extremist groups, and the country is becoming a safe haven for foreign jihadists,' said a high-ranking Lebanese security source who requested anonymity.

'By closely monitoring the borders, Lebanon will be able to stop such a foreign terrorist influx,' he said.

Lebanese are still haunted by the memories of the 1975-1990 civil war, which left more than 100,000 dead, another 100,000 handicapped by injuries and some 900,000 displaced from their homes.

'A closely monitored borders, will reduce the chances of having a new war in Lebanon,' the security source added. -DPA