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Syrian
Troops in Lebanon Redeploy
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Suleiman, left, welcomes Turkmani
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BEIRUT,
September 21 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – Following talks
between Syrian and Lebanese military officials, Syria began
redeployment of its troops in Lebanon Tuesday, September 21, in the
face of heavy international pressure for Damascus to withdraw its
troops from its neighbor.
Syrian
forces evacuated four small posts situated on a hilltop in Aramoun,
about 15 kilometers (nine miles) south of Beirut, as part of the troop
pullback eastwards towards the Syrian border, reported Agence
France-Presse (AFP).
The
move, 28 years after Syria first sent in troops a year after the
outbreak of the 1975-1990 Lebanese civil war, followed talks between
Syrian Defense Minister General Hassan Turkmani and Lebanese
officials.
It
was still not clear if the redeployment, the latest in a series since
2001, would lead to a complete pullout of Syrian troops which numbered
as many as 35,000 at the end of the war.
“The
redeployment comes... within the framework of the Taef Agreement and
according to the Treaty of Fraternity, Friendship and Cooperation
between the political and military leaderships of the two brotherly
countries,” Lebanese Defense Minister Mahmud Hammud said in a
statement.
The
1989 Taef national reconciliation agreement, which led to the end of
the civil war, called for a Syrian army pullback to the eastern Bekaa
Valley, but did not set a date for the full pullout.
“This
step shows that the improving security situation and stability in
Lebanon have allowed (for the troop redeployment),” Hammud said.
“Lebanon will continue to coordinate with Syria in this field and
all other fields in the interests of the two brotherly countries and
peoples.”
Lebanese
presidential spokesman Rafiq Shalala told AFP that Turkmani, on a
previously announced visit met Tuesday with Lebanese army chief
General Michel Sleiman.
The
two delegations were due to visit President Emile Lahoud -- a Damascus
protégé -- to inform him about the military process.
“The
redeployment comes in line with the continued coordination between
Lebanese President Emile Lahoud and Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad,
according to the Taef agreement,” he said.
Shalala
said the redeployment was set to take place in the mountains
surrounding Beirut from the north to the southeast as well as in
northern Lebanon, but said full details would be released later.
Under Pressure
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A file photo of Syrian trrops in Lebanon (AFP)
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The
Syrian move comes after both the United Nations and the United States
ratcheted up the pressure on Damascus this month over its role in
Lebanon.
It
came just three weeks after the
UN Security Council adopted a resolution calling for the
withdrawal of foreign forces from Lebanon and respect for its
sovereignty.
Resolution
1559 said the Security Council “reaffirms its call for the strict
respect of Lebanon's sovereignty, territorial integrity, unity, and
political independence under the sole and exclusive authority of the
government of Lebanon throughout Lebanon.”
UN
Secretary General Kofi Annan is expected to draft a report on October
3 on compliance with Resolution 1559, which also demanded the
disarming of militias in the country.
Just
a week ago, US
envoy William Burns was in Damascus to tell Syria -- which is
under US sanctions -- that it should stop meddling in Lebanon's
affairs and pull out its troops.
Washington
accuses Damascus of backing Palestinian resistance groups it regards
terrorists and seeking to develop weapons of mass destruction, charges
that the Syrian authorities deny.
The
heightened pressure came as Lebanon adopted a controversial
Syrian-inspired amendment to its constitution allowing Lahoud
to serve as president for another three years.
Syria
redeployed its forces in June 2001, again in April 2002 and then twice
in 2003, withdrawing the bulk of its troops from Beirut and the
surrounding areas into the eastern Bekaa valley.
Syria's
clout in Lebanon has also raised concerns internally, with Christian
leaders in particular saying its troops should have pulled back years
ago.
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