Kofi Annan, the UN Secretary-General, said today that he had won a pledge from Syria to respect an international arms embargo against the militant group Hezbollah.

Mr Annan, who is on a marathon tour of the Middle East to shore up the UN-monitored ceasefire in Lebanon, made the announcement after a meeting in Damascus with President Assad - although he said that Mr Assad was still opposed to the deployment of UN peackeepers along Syria's border with Lebanon.

"The President informed me that Syria supports Security Council Resolution 1701 and will help in its implementation," Mr Annan told reporters.

"While stating Syrian objections to the presence of foreign forces along the Syrian-Lebanese border, the President committed to me that Syria will take all necessary measures to implement in full paragraph 15 of the resolution," he added referring to the section dealing with the arms embargo.

There was no immediate confirmation from the Syrian side of any such commitment and Richard Beeston, Times Diplomatic Editor, said that Mr Annan's announcement would be greeted with immense scepticism, especialy in Israel.

He said: "Hezbollah's huge arsenal of weapons were never smuggled into Lebanon but suppplied by the governments of Iran and Syria, who have never disguised their support for the group.

"Proof of Syria's direct involvement emerged at the end of the five-week war in south Lebanon when reporters found a truck loaded with Russian-made AT-5 anti-tank missiles in the village of Gandurje, a Hezbollah stronghold in southern Lebanon, ovrrun by Israeli forces. Some of the rockets, which were captured by Israeli troops, bore the inscription: "Recipient: Defense Ministry of Syria. Supplier: Tula Design Bureau, Russia."

Mr Annan said that the Syrian leader had undertaken in their meeting to help secure the border with Lebanon by increasing the number of guards deployed there and by establishing liaison mechanisms with the Lebanese army and border police.

Syria would also establish, where possible, joint border patrols and control points with Lebanese authorities, while Mr Assad had agreed to international personnel providing technical assistance to the Lebanese.

"Syria is an important regional player," the UN chief said. "The international community is looking to Syria to play a constructive role in this crucial period."

The UN resolution which halted Israel’s month-long war in Lebanon calls for an arms embargo against Hezbollah, along with the deployment of Lebanese and international troops in south Lebanon to monitor the Israeli border.

Damascus last month threatened to close its border with Lebanon if UN peacekeepers were deployed on it under the UN resolution that led to the August 14 ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel. Mr Assad today reiterated Syrian objections to the presence of foreign forces along that border.

Mr Annan said that he also discussed with Mr Assad the establishment of diplomatic relations between Syria and Lebanon. "The President informed me that Syria is prepared to establish normal diplomatic relations with Lebanon ... and that Syria is prepared to go ahead with the delineation of its border with Lebanon," Mr Annan said.

That could include the disputed Shebaa Farms district, located at the junction of Lebanon, Syria and Israel, and captured by the Jewish state during the 1967 Middle East war.

Although the tiny territory is now claimed by Lebanon with the approval of Syria, the United Nations wants Damascus to sign a formal document to that effect.

Mr Annan’s 10-day tour is aimed at implementing Resolution 1701 which halted the 34-day conflict that killed more than 1,200 people in Lebanon, overwhelmingly civilians, and 160 Israelis, mostly soldiers. He has already visited Lebanon, Jordan and Israel and left Syria after today's meeting for Qatar, before stops in Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkey.

Meanwhile, five ships carrying nearly 2,500 Italian troops reached the Lebanese coast last night. The troops are to make a beach landing in the southern coastal city of Tyre on Saturday, a UN spokesman said.

The troops are part of the vanguard of the expanded UN force that will eventually total up to 15,000 troops. Indonesia said today that it would send up to 1,000 troops, after Israel eased its previously blanket objection to the participation of countries with which it does not have diplomatic relations.

In Israel, tens of thousands of people rallied in Tel Aviv last night, putting pressure on the government to secure the release of two soldiers captured by Hezbollah and a third held captive by Gaza militants. "We do not abandon soldiers on the battlefield," read white banners emblazoned in red hanging behind a stage in Rabin Square.

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