During the first years of the Kataeb Party, the Party was strongly opposed to having anyone dominate Lebanon.

Still, Syria, which dominates Lebanon, can force the freeing of hostages held there mainly by the Iranian-sponsored Hezbollah.

European culture, European political and military power - and specifically French cultural and political influence - began to dominate Lebanon.

And, the 400,000 Druse of the Shuf mountains of Lebanon are Lebanese nationalists allied, at the moment, with Syria, which dominates Lebanon.

Syria dominated Lebanon for the last 15 years, after originally sending troops there as "peacekeepers" soon after the civil war broke out in 1975.

The Israelis would like a written agreement guaranteed by Syria, which dominates Lebanon, that includes some joint Syrian-Israeli-Lebanese-American mechanism for monitoring compliance, officials say.

The international force, joined by Lebanese national soldiers, is the solution that world powers agreed to after a month of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, an Islamist militia that dominates southern Lebanon.

Syria has dominated Lebanon for most of the past three decades, and, by financing and arming the Hezbollah militia, the officials said, Damascus continues to undermine Beirut's ability to establish its own authority.

Syria, which dominates Lebanon and controls Hezbollah's supply lines from Iran, also plays a powerful role with the group.

Diplomatic leaders were converging on Syria, which dominates Lebanon and has sanctioned the attacks by anti-Israeli guerrillas there, and also holds the key to reining them in.