by Nayla Razzouk 
BEIRUT (AFP) – Lebanon has welcomed a UN Security Council resolution calling on former powerbroker Syria to establish formal diplomatic relations with Beirut and demarcate their border, which prompted Damascus to claim interference it its affairs. Meanwhile, in a sign of ongoing strife between the two neighbors, pro-Syrian Palestinian militants and Lebanese army troops each beefed up their presence near the border following clashes that wounded two people a day earlier.
"The resolution is good because it encourages both brotherly countries to cooperate in order to implement two issues that were adopted by the national dialogue," or ongoing reconciliation talks among Lebanese leaders, Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora said Thursday.
Those issues are the establishment of formal diplomatic relations and the demarcation of the border, Siniora told An-Nahar newspaper. "Lebanon, as a state, did not have a say in it (the resolution), and we tried to soften the terms that were used and we succeeded in softening the terms," Siniora added.
On Wednesday, the Security Council adopted by 13 in favor, with two abstentions, resolution 1680 that "strongly encourages" Damascus to heed Lebanon’s request "to delineate their common border, especially in areas where the border is uncertain and to establish full diplomatic relations and representation."
Syria immediately dismissed the text as an "interference", saying it constitutes "unwarranted pressure and a provocation which complicates things rather than resolves them."
Syria, which never agreed to draw borders with Lebanon, withdrew its troops from its smaller neighbor last year after a 29-year military presence and political domination.
Ties between Beirut and Damascus have been strained since the withdrawal, which came in the face of strong international pressure following the 2005 murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri for which Syria was widely blamed.
But some pro-Syrian parties in Lebanon — mainly the powerful anti-Israeli Hezbollah and Amal militant movements — have previously criticized pressures on Syria, which they said were not the proper channel to set up normal peaceful ties with Damascus.
In a letter to the Security Council last month, Syria said the establishment of embassies was a bilateral issue between Damascus and Beirut that would be decided when warranted by diplomatic conditions.
Russia and China abstained from voting, arguing there was no need for such a resolution since Beirut and Damascus were already making progress in their dialogue.
But US Ambassador John Bolton welcomed the resolution as "a clear message" to Damascus that it needs to comply with the requests and do more to stop the flow of weapons across the Syrian-Lebanese border.
"The disarming of all militias inside Lebanon is an important priority," said Bolton.
"We want to accomplish this expeditiously," said Bolton, who nevertheless stressed that there was no time frame for Syria to comply.
Meanwhile, tensions remained high at the Lebanese-Syrian borders on Thursday, a day after clashes between the Lebanese army and guerrillas of the Damascus-based
Fatah-Intifada led by radical militant Abu Mussa.
The clashes, during which a Lebanese soldier was briefly kidnapped by the Palestinian guerrillas, left one wounded on each side.
During the night, Abu Mussa guerrillas smuggled reinforcements and 15 military vehicles from Syria into eastern Lebanon, police said Thursday.
The Lebanese army also sent in more reinforcements to the area, deploying about 100 commando troops, backed by 10 armored vehicles, a military source told AFP.
A number of armed pro-Syrian Palestinian groups maintain bases in Lebanon, where an estimated 400,000 Palestinian refugees live.
On Tuesday, Lebanese leaders held a new round of reconciliation talks. The roundtable dialogue reached agreement in April on a number of contentious issues, including the dismantling of Palestinian bases in Lebanon within six months.