BEIRUT: Lebanese Forces (LF) leader Samir Geagea asked Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak during a visit to Cairo to help Lebanon re-establish its sovereignty over the Israeli-occupied Shebaa Farms.  Geagea, who headed a delegation which also included former Minister Joe Sarkis, MP Antoine Zahra, and LF official Joseph Nehme, asked Mubarak to utilize Egypt’s friendly relations with the United States in pressuring Israel to withdraw from the occupied territory.  Geagea also asked Mubarak to play a role in convincing Syria of the necessity to sign a joint document with the Lebanese government to emphasize the Lebanese identity of the area.  "Signing such document would obligate Israel to withdraw under United Nations Security Council Resolution 425, which it had already implemented in May 2000," he said.  "But Israel is still arguing that the Shebaa Farms are part of Syria’s territory and is backing its claim by resorting to the UN … Signing such a document is the fastest way to liberate the remaining part of Lebanon’s occupied territory," he added.  The LF leader also discussed with Mubarak the recent Syrian troop build-up along Lebanon’s northern border.  He argued that the Syrian move was not aimed at preventing border smuggling, as asserted by Damascus.  "The troop reinforcement aims at reminding the Lebanese that Syria is still present … It also aims at putting the residents of the North under pressure ahead of next year’s parliamentary elections," Geagea said.

Also on Tuesday, Aoun said after meeting a number of Iranian MPs in Tehran that Lebanon would live in peace and unity if the "opposition wins the majority of seats in the 2009 polls." Aoun, who started a visit to Tehran on Sunday, met on Tuesday with Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili, who praised the retired general for "preserving national unity in Lebanon and supporting the resistance in confronting Israel."  Aoun met on Monday with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki.

In another development expected to give pace to the ongoing reconciliation efforts in the country, Future Movement leader Saad Hariri returned to Beirut Tuesday after spending two weeks in Saudi Arabia.  Hariri’s return may pave the way for holding a reconciliation meeting between himself and Hizbullah’s leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.

The intra-Christian reconciliation is expected to kick off with a meeting between Geagea and Marada leader Suleiman Franjieh. The meeting, to be held at the Presidential Palace, will be attended by Aoun. The Marada Movement on Tuesday described as "positive" Geagea’s approval of Aoun’s participation.  "Although three years late, Geagea’s decision is a step in the right direction," a Marada statement said, adding that Phalange leader and former President Amin Gemayel was also welcome to attend the meeting.