David Welch also told reporters in Cairo that this month’s release of a UN report on the assassination of Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri would probably be an occasion for the world to send a signal to Syria about its “misbehaviour”.

“Our worries are not just with respect to the situation in Iraq but also with respect to Syrian interference in Lebanon and its renewed interference in the situation of the Palestinians and the Israelis,” said Welch, who is US assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs.

“These are very, very difficult issues, and we would ask the Syrian government not to interfere in such matters. It appears they are not listening and it seems that this behaviour is not changing,” he said after talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

The United States has said Syria has continued to meddle in Lebanon after withdrawing its troops and warned Damascus it could face isolation if it did not cooperate with Baghdad on security. It has also long accused Syria, which has land occupied by Israel, of backing Palestinian militants.

A UN team led by German prosecutor Detlev Mehlis is due to issue its report on Hariri’s killing to the UN Security Council by October 25. Many Lebanese accuse Syria of being behind Hariri’s killing although Damascus denies this.