WORLD
CAPITALS, March 6, 2005 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) –
Syria’s decision to withdraw its troops from neighboring Lebanon was
welcomed by Arab countries, Britain and even opposition but dismissed
as “insufficient” by the hard-to-satisfy Washington.
Syrian
President Bashar Al-Assad told parliament on Saturday, March 5,
Damascus will withdraw all its troops in Lebanon to the eastern Bekaa
valley and then to the borders.
The
Bush administration said the move was inadequate and Assad’s speech
contained nothing new, Agence France Presse (AFP) said Saturday, March
5.
“It's
clear to us, not just the United States, but the international
community, that his words are insufficient,” argued US State
Department spokesman Adam Ereli.
“We
have not heard the words: 'immediate and full withdrawal’”, he
told the Washington-funded Arabic-speaking Alhurra television.
Ereli
said Damascus must comply with UN Security Council resolution 1559 on
withdrawing troops from its neighbor and stop influencing Lebanese
politics.
“That's
what's at the center of the resolution, and we expect the
implementation of that resolution. And we did not hear that in Assad's
speech,” he argued.
In
his rare parliamentary address, Assad said that once his troops were
withdrawn to the borders “Syria would have fulfilled its commitment
towards the Taif Agreement and implemented (UN Security Council)
Resolution 1559”.
Last
September, the UN Security Council passed resolution 1559 sponsored by
Paris and Washington demanding the withdrawal of all foreign troops
from Lebanon, a clear reference to the Syrian forces.
A
senior Lebanese official told AFP that the Lebanese-Syrian Supreme
Council, headed by the two states' presidents, is expected to meet in
Damascus Monday, March 7, to discuss the mechanisms of the Syrian
pullout.
Cautious
France
France
echoed more restrained remarks, stressing that Paris was expecting a
complete Syrian military withdrawal from Lebanon at the earliest
possible time.
“We
take note of the announcement by the Syrian president of his decision
to implement resolution 1559,” said a French Foreign Ministry
statement.
“Thus
we expect the complete withdrawal of its troops and services from
Lebanon as soon as possible.”
French
President Jacques Chirac pressed Friday for “full, entire and
immediate application of UN Security Council resolution 1559”.
The
United States and France have been piling pressure on Syria for a
complete withdrawal of troops and intelligence services from Lebanon.
Welcomed
 |
|
Lebanese
soldiers block street in front of pro-Syria Lebanese protesters in
Beirut
. (Reuters)
|
Contrary
to the American and French reactions, Britain welcomed the Syrian
move, calling it a “first step” that should materialize at the
earliest possible time.
“I
was glad to hear the news that, as a first step, President Assad has
announced that Syria will move to implement the Taif Accord and Syria
will withdraw troops to the Bekaa,” British Foreign Minister Jack
Straw said in a statement released Saturday.
“As
I called for yesterday (Friday) we expect to see rapid progress to the
withdrawal of Syrian troops from the whole of Lebanon in line with
UNSCR 1559,” he added.
The
Syrian move was also hailed by the two Arab heavyweights Saudi Arabia
and Egypt.
“We
welcome the decision announced by President Bashar al-Assad, and which
conforms with the Taif accord agreed by the Lebanese in 1989,” a
Saudi official told AFP.
The
1989 Taif Accord, sponsored by Saudi Arabia, put an end to Lebanon's
1975-1990 civil war.
It
provides for “the two governments to determine the strength and
duration of the presence of the Syrian forces” but does not set a
specific deadline for a Syrian withdrawal.
Egyptian
Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit applauded the Syrian leader's
decision.
“It's
important to treat the situation in Lebanon with extreme sensitivity
and caution to prevent any explosion of the situation, while at the
same time working calmly to achieve a Syrian withdrawal that preserves
the security and stability of fraternal Lebanon,” he said.
Arab
League Secretary General Amr Moussa said the move represented the
start of a positive process as it “signifies that the Syrian
president is moving towards a withdrawal.”
Fearing
a recurrence of the Iraqi scenario, Arab countries, especially Egypt,
Saudi Arabia and Jordan, have been intensively moving on various
levels to draw an acceptable formula under which Syrian forces could
pull out from Lebanon.
Iran
lambasted the pressure imposed on Syria, saying it was merely part of
a plot orchestrated by Israel.
“It
should be noted that the pressure on Syria, using the pretext of
pulling out of Lebanon, is apparently a predetermined plan by the
Zionist regime in order to guarantee the expansionist policies of
Israel,” said foreign ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi.
Mixed
Responses
 |
|
Lebanese
celebrating Assad’s decision. (Reuters)
|
The
Syrian promise also drew mixed responses inside Lebanon with pro and
anti-Syria forces taking to the streets in several cities across the
country.
Some
Lebanese flocked to Martyrs' Square in Beirut to celebrate the Syrian
decision, reported Reuters.
“I
am very happy and excited,” Collette Hajj said. “I hope we will
achieve true independence, as long as we stay here and keep demanding
it.”
Many
protesters, waving Lebanese flags, decried the absence of any
reference to the demand for dismantling Syria's pervasive security
role in Lebanon.
But
not everyone was celebrating. Hundreds took to the streets in several
Lebanese towns to declare support for Syria.
Leading
opposition leader Walid Jumblatt welcomed Saturday Assad’s decision,
saying it was “positive and meets our aspirations”.
“He
gave a new vision and that's what we've been calling for,” the Druze
leader said.
In
Damascus, thousands of Syrians gathered outside parliament to back
Assad before and during his speech.
“One,
one, one, Lebanon and Syria are one,” chanted several thousand
Syrians, some carrying pictures of Assad and Syrian flags.
