Lebanon says that all Lebanese detainees held in Syria will be handed over to Beirut in the next few days.

The announcement came after a telephone conversation between the Lebanese President, Emile Lahoud, and his Syrian counterpart, Bashar al-Assad.

Correspondents say most Lebanese jailed in Syria are Christian activists opposed to Syria's political and military grip on Lebanon.

Lebanese opposition groups say there are one- hundred-and-fifty political prisoners in Syria, but the total number of Lebanese detainees is not known.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service