BEIRUT Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri and his Syrian counterpart Mustapha Miro called Saturday for further economic cooperation between the neighboring countries, while the two countries' health ministries signed a protocol agreement.

Hariri and Miro, who jointly chair a Lebanon-Syria economic committee, studied measures recommended at a March 3 summit in Beirut between Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his Lebanese counterpart Emile Lahoud.

The two looked at ways to eliminate trade barriers between the neighbors.

According to an AFP reported, the Syrian and Lebanese health ministers also signed a protocol agreement for an exchange of medical and pharmaceutical products.

The two neighbors are linked by a 1991 "Treaty of Fraternity, Friendship and Cooperation", and Syria stations some 20,000 troops in Lebanon.

Syria's presence is contested by the Lebanese opposition, notably Christian, which is seeking a reduction of the troop number and greater balance in the relations between the two countries, in particular on the economic front.