British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw on Friday called for Syria's withdrawal of troops from Lebanon, as Syria is facing mounting pressure over its presence inits neighbor.

"It's very clear that Syria should withdraw its troops in Lebanon," Straw said in an interview with the BBC Radio.

"That was the call of the United Nations Security Council in its Resolution 1559 last September," he said.

"We need real democracy in Lebanon. You can only have democracyif the government has complete control on its territory, and that's not the case," Straw added.

Straw's comments came after US President George W. Bush's demand on Wednesday for Syria's withdrawal.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier, who were both in London on Tuesday for aninternational conference on supporting the Palestinian Authority, issued a joint statement calling for Syria's withdrawal from Lebanon.

Rice claimed that Syria was "out of step" with a growing desirefor democracy in the Middle East.

There are about 15,000 Syrian troops stationed in Lebanon.