Lorries roll across Syria border

Some drivers had been stuck for several weeks

Lorries have begun crossing into Syria from Lebanon after being stranded in the border area for several weeks.

More than 100 lorries had crossed on the border just hours after Syria eased restrictions, custom officials said.

Syria had said the checks were needed to stop smuggling. Many Lebanese saw them as retaliation after Syria pulled its troops out of Lebanon in April.

Elections in Lebanon in June gave the anti-Syrian coalition a majority, straining ties between the countries.

However, after talks in Damascus on Sunday, the Syrian president and the new Lebanese prime minister reaffirmed their commitment to co-operation.

Steady flow

Long-haul lorries were moving across the Lebanese-Syrian border at a rate of one about every five minutes on Monday, custom officials and witnesses said.

However, there was still a long queue of vehicles in the main Masnaa border area, they said.

Syria is Lebanon's only open land border, as the Lebanese-Israeli border is closed.

Weeks of delays brought Lebanese overland exports - mainly to Gulf countries - to a near standstill, with only a few vehicles being allowed through the border daily.

"It has been a disaster, a complete disaster. I have been stranded here for more than two weeks now," Lebanese lorry driver Ali al-Batal was quoted as saying by Reuters news agency.

"I have lost everything... I don't know what to do," he said.

Mutual claims

Anti-Syrian sentiment began to grow in Lebanon following the assassination in February of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

The killing - in a car blast - has been widely blamed on Damascus, which denies any involvement.

Syrian officials have said their country will ask for compensation for the Syrian workers who were reportedly killed in Lebanon in the aftermath of Hariri's assassination.

Lebanese lawmakers have retorted by saying they will claim compensation for the alleged abuses during the 29 years of Syrian military presence in Lebanon.