Syria begins pulling back its troops to Lebanese border
Syrian troops in Lebanon have begun pulling back to the border but will not immediately leave the country.
The first of the 14,000 Syrian troops are on their way to the Bekaa Valley, in eastern Lebanon, in the initial phase of a two-step pull back.
Syrian troops in Lebanon
Syrian forces will complete the process by the end of March, when the Syrian and Lebanese military will decide how long the forces will remain, according to a statement issued after a meeting between the leaders of both countries this morning.
No mention was made about pulling out intelligence officials, despite US calls that all must leave.
Exiled Lebanese Christian opposition ex-general Michel Aoun calls the pull-back a "manoeuvre".
France and Germany jointly urged Syria to withdraw its troops and security forces from Lebanon as soon as possible.
The pull back comes after intense international pressure and demonstrations on the streets of Beirut following the assassination of Rafik al-Hariri, former prime minister.
Bashar al-Assad, Syrian president, announced the troop withdrawal in his parliament on Saturday.
But the militant movement Hizbollah, which has a growing presence in Lebanon's parliament, opposes the pull out, saying it is conceding to American and Israeli demands.
Its leader, Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, has called for a massive demonstration tomorrow.
George W Bush, US president, said on Friday that anything less than a full Syrian withdrawal by May, when Lebanese parliamentary elections are to be held, would be an unacceptable "half-measure."
The 1989 Arab-brokered Taif Accord called for Syria to move its troops to the Lebanese border and for both countries to then negotiate the withdrawal.
A UN resolution, drafted by the United States and France in September, called on Syria to withdraw its forces from Lebanon, stop influencing politics in the country and allow Lebanon to hold presidential elections as scheduled.
Russia and Saudi Arabia have also called for a withdrawal.
Syria has had troops in Lebanon since 1976, when they were sent as peacekeepers during that country's 1975-1990 civil war. When the war ended, the troops remained while Syria dominated Lebanon's politics.
Syrians praised their president's announcement and insisted the decision to pull back did not result from international pressure but rather continued a gradual process.
Mr Assad said in his speech that Syria has reduced its deployment in Lebanon by more than 60 per cent since 2000.
Thousands of angry Syrians have withdrawn their deposits from Lebanese banks in the past two weeks, the weekly business newspaper Al-Iqtissadiya said.
Syrians are believed to have $10 billion (€7.62 billion) in Lebanese banks - making up nearly 20 per cent of deposits. |
