BEIRUT: In his first visit to Syria newly appointed Lebanese Premier Najib Mikati said Beirut and Damascus will begin reviewing their future relations in the wake of pullout by Syrian troops from Lebanon.

Speaking alongside his Syrian counterpart Naji Otari, Mikati said a joint commission will "examine all accords between the two countries to ensure they are in the interests of the two, and are implemented with respect to their sovereignty and independence."

The commission may well amend Syria and Lebanon's 1991 Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation, which provides for close coordination in the political, economic and security areas, when Syrian hegemony over Lebanon was at its peak.

Mikati also said that a separate commission will examine the plight of Lebanese prisoners held in Syria.

Syria released a group of Lebanese prisoners four years ago, at which time the two capitals said the issue had been settled. But non-governmental organizations argue that 440 Lebanese have disappeared or been detained in Syria for years, among them prisoners who were teenagers when they were seized.

In an interview with the Spanish daily El Pais published yesterday, Otari said any remaining prisoners were "terrorists."

The Syrian premier also claimed the detainees were members of the South Lebanon Army militia, which collaborated with the Israeli Army, then occupying South Lebanon.

Declining to give a number for those detained, he said: "These people were fighting alongside Israel and killed Syrian soldiers. Obviously they were punished, like terrorists in Spain or other countries."

Commenting on bilateral relations between the two countries, Otari said Syria has never had diplomatic relations with Lebanon because Beirut did not want them.

He said: "They have refused them since independence."

Otari's comments came as the UN Security Council issued a presidential statement on Lebanon and Syria's implementation of Resolution 1559.

The council welcomed what it called "noticeable progress toward implementing some of the provisions," but expressed concern over "no progress on the implementation of other provisions of the resolution, in particular the disarmament of Lebanese and non-Lebanese militia."

It added that "the requirements of the resolution have not yet been met."

The statement also hinted that the council had not yet completely approved of the Syrian withdrawal, stressing the council "acknowledges that the full and complete Syrian withdrawal would represent a significant and important step toward restoring Lebanon's political independence and full exercise of its sovereignty."

But the head of the UN verification team in Lebanon Brigadier General Elhadji Mouhamadou Kandji said: "We have verified many positions, and ... we have not encountered a single Syrian."

But the team found itself involved in a shooting incident as it approached the border village of Qussaya, where the pro-Syrian Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command still maintains positions.

A burst of gunfire was heard from the camp, an incident quickly deplored by Annan as a "hindrance to the team's freedom of movement."

Abu Anwar, PFLP-GC leader in Lebanon said: "The UN team did not alert our command of their visit, which ... provoked a minor misunderstanding.