BAABDA, Lebanon: The Higher Defense Council, meeting to discuss allegations over the presence of members of Islamist Al-Qaeda in Lebanon, stressed Thursday the need to prevent arms smuggling across the border with Syria.

The council convened under President Michel Sleiman at Baabda Palace Thursday morning to look into allegations that Al-Qaeda is present in Lebanon.

“The council stressed [the need to] prevent weapons smuggling to and from Lebanon ... curb violations ... and cooperate with UNIFIL [United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon] and the Drug Control Office,” said a statement at the end of the meeting.

The statement, read by the council’s Secretary-General Maj. Gen. Adnan Merhi, also said Sleiman condemned the killing of three Lebanese civilians in the northern border area of Wadi Khaled by Syrian Army gunfire.

It said Sleiman underlined the need to continue with the investigation into Tuesday’s shooting.

Cabinet asked the Higher Defense Council Wednesday to probe the claims put forward last week by Defense Minister Fayez Ghosn that members of Al-Qaeda had entered the Bekaa border village of Arsal.

Ghosn’s claims have been both criticized and hailed by rival Lebanese political leaders.

“The Cabinet recommended that security forces and the army preserve the borders and called on the Higher Defense Council to convene, which might take place tomorrow [over the presence of Al-Qaeda],” Information Minister Walid Daouk briefed reporters after Cabinet’s last session for 2011 at Baabda Palace Wednesday.

Sleiman held private talks with Prime Minister Najib Mikati Thursday before the two were joined by Ghosn, Interior Minister Marwan Charbel, Finance Minister Mohammad Safadi, Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour, Economy Minister Nicholas Nahhas and Social Affairs Minister Wael Abu Faour.

Among the senior officers present at the Higher Defense Council meeting were Lebanese Army Commander Gen. Jean. Kahwaji, Internal Security Forces chief Maj. Gen. Ashraf Rifi and head of Lebanese Army Intelligence Brig. Gen. Edmond Fadel.

Speaking to the Kataeb-run Voice of Lebanon prior to the meeting of top security officials, Charbel said Thursday’s meeting was an “opportunity to exchange information on Arsal.”

He also denied there were contradictory assessments of Al-Qaeda’s presence in Lebanon.

Ghosn’s “remarks had been misunderstood,” Charbel told the radio station.

He said Ghosn “did not say Al-Qaeda is present in Arsal but he said there were subversive elements entering Syria from Lebanon and vice versa, the same thing that is happening at the Iraq-Syria border,” Charbel added.

Mikati cast doubt Wednesday on the seriousness of the information made public by Ghosn. Speaking to reporters at the Grand Serail, he also played down the different views being expressed by members of his Cabinet after Charbel said earlier this week that he had no solid information on a possible Al-Qaeda presence in the country.

Asked whether Al-Qaeda cells were present in Lebanon, Mikati indicated that an incident more than one month earlier was the source of the commotion, which has seen March 14 politicians criticize officials for making what they say are public statements at the behest of Syrian authorities.