DAMASCUS,
March 12, 2005 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – A few hours
after an undisclosed number of Syrian troops reportedly crossed the
borders homeward, the UN confirmed on Saturday, March 12, an
understanding with Damascus on a two-stage withdrawal from neighboring
Lebanon.
“The
president has committed to withdrawing all troops and intelligence
services from Lebanon in fulfillment of Security Council Resolution
1559,” UN envoy Terje Roed-Larsen said after talks with President
Bashar Al-Assad, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Larsen
said he would present UN Secretary General Kofi Annan with details of
the timetable for the two-stage withdrawal when he returns to New York
early next week, although he did not disclose a timeframe for the
final phase.
“The
first stage will see the relocation of all military forces and
intelligence apparatus to the Bekaa valley by the end of March.
Further, a significant number of these Syrian forces, including
intelligence (personnel), will be withdrawn from Lebanon into Syria
during this stage,” Larsen said in a statement.
“The
second stage will lead to a complete and full withdrawal of all Syrian
military personnel, assets and intelligence apparatus,” he added.
Larsen
is charged with overseeing implementation of resolution 1559, which
was passed in September, and calls for the withdrawal of foreign
troops, a reference to the Syrian forces.
In
a rare parliamentary address on Saturday, March 5, Bashar said Syria
will withdraw all its troops in Lebanon to the eastern Bekaa valley
and then to the borders.
He
said once troops were withdrawn to the borders “Syria would have
fulfilled its commitment towards the Taif Agreement and implemented
resolution 1559”.
The
United States and France, which sponsored the resolution, have been
piling pressure on Syria for a complete withdrawal of troops and
intelligence services.
Hero
Reception
 |
|
Syrians
showered the retuning forces with rice and flowers. (Reuters)
|
Larsen's
meeting with Assad in the northern city of Aleppo came after an
undisclosed number of the 6,000 troops deployed in Bekaa Valley
crossed into Syria overnight.
About
60 vehicles passed through the border overnight, including a range of
covered trucks, along with buses and jeeps.
The
troops received a hero reception by a cheering crowd waving Syrian
flags and shouting pro-Assad slogans.
The
crowd showered the forces with rice and flowers as they crossed the
border home, witnesses said.
Late
Friday, March 11, the Syrian army had evacuated all its positions in
northern Lebanon.
Syrian
forces entered Lebanon in 1976 under Taif agreement, which brought an
end to the 1975-1990 Lebanese civil war.
A
series of redeployments have seen Syrian troop numbers fall from a
high of 40,000 after they first moved in to the current 14,000.
