WASHINGTON, Oct 19: President George Bush has told Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak that Syria is interfering in Lebanon and hurting Mideast peace prospects by backing the radical Palestinian group Hamas, the White House said on Thursday.

The two leaders, speaking by telephone for 15 minutes on Wednesday, also agreed on the importance of ending violence in Sudan’s Darfur province, Mr Bush’s spokesman Tony Snow told reporters.

Mr Bush ‘made clear his view that Syria is continuing to interfere in Lebanese politics and is also standing in the way of progress in Israeli-Palestinian affairs through its support of Hamas’, said the spokesman.

“They also discussed how to make progress in stopping violence in Darfur. President Mubarak explained his recent conversations” with Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir, said Snow.

“President Bush noted that his special envoy, Andrew Natsios, will be visiting Egypt within the next few days. And the president thanked President Mubarak for his continued leadership on these issues,” said the spokesman. —AFP