Damascus - Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem said that border control with Lebanon was "not possible" for the time being, though diplomatic relations can be achieved before the end of 2008, al-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper reported on Wednesday.

"We cannot control the common border," al-Moallem told the pan-Arab daily, adding that border control requires demarcation of the Lebanon-Syria border and reaching a security agreement.

Al-Moallem, pointed to the continuous smuggling "from and to Lebanon" but refuted the idea that Syria is helping Hezbollah with the arms, saying that Hezbollah "does not need that."

New York - The year-long crisis in Darfur was discussed Saturday by the foreign ministers of Egypt and Syria in their speeches at the annual UN General Assembly.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit called for an international conference to draft a roadmap for the way to unity and stability in Sudan.

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Al-Moualem demanded that the UN Security Council counteract an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir that has been requested by the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court.

The prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo asked the ICC at The Hague in July to issue a warrant to arrest al-Bashir for the killing of Darfurians.

New York - The terrorist bombing that killed at least 17 civilians on the outskirts of Damascus on Saturday was strongly condemned by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

Ban extended his condolences to the government of Syria and the families of the victims and wished those injured a speedy recovery, the UN said, adding that Ban called for the perpetrators of this crime to be brought before justice.

In Berlin, Steinmeier said he was deeply concerned "by the number of dead and injured."

Damascus  - A car bomb in the Syrian capital Damascus early Saturday killed at least 17 civilians and wounded 14 in an attack believed to be aimed at intelligence personnel.

The 200-kilo bomb went off near the busy Sayyida Zainab district at 8:45 am (0545 GMT). The bomb, which exploded near a secret service facility, was believed to be targeting a senior intelligence official who was in the building at the time, Lebanese media reported.

There were no immediate reports whether this person was killed or injured.

Damascus - A car bomb in the Syrian capital Damascus Saturday morning has killed 17 civilians, national news agency SANA reported.

Vienna  - Questions about Iran's past nuclear activities and about Syria's alleged secret nuclear programme are expected to dominate a meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) board that opened in Vienna on Monday.

The 35-member IAEA Board of Governors is set to discuss Iran's lack of cooperation in explaining a set of past studies, which the international nuclear watchdog says could be related to an effort to develop nuclear weapons.

Iran strongly denies that it ever intended to use nuclear technology for military purposes.