Syria's military presence in Lebanon, a necessity

Lebanese Defense Minister Abd El-Rahim Morad said on Tuesday that Syrias military presence in his country is a necessity.

In an interview with the Monday Morning, Morad said that the recent redeployments of Syrian troops in Lebanon were carried out as a result of an agreement between President Emile Lahoud and his Syrian counterpart Bashar Al Assad, according to the Taef agreement, signed between the two countries.

Morad added that some people may think that these redeployments were done under international pressures, but he stressed that this wasnt the case.

When asked if the redeployment was supervised by the UN, Morad said that the redeployment was planned a while ago, even before the UN resolution.

The UN adopted a U.S.-French backed resolution that demands the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon.

However, the Taef agreement didnt stipulate such a withdrawal, but rather stated that the Syrian forces should be deployed in the Lebanese territories and stressed that this is a necessity due to the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Morad said that Lebanon owes Syria because it backed the Lebanese resistance against Israeli occupation forces in southern Lebanon. He added that Syrian soldiers protect the Bekaa Valley and prevent Israeli forces from using it as a passing route to invade the Syrian capital, Damascus.

The recent redeployment included a pullout from Beirut Airport as well as from the southern suburbs of Beirut and Batroun.

Morad noted that further redeployments will be carried out later in other regions.

He also said that the presidents of Syria and Lebanon set a timeframe for the redeployments, especially in the Bekaa Valley.

When asked about the current political situation in Lebanon, the Defense Minister said that the competition between opposition parties and the loyalists will increase before the legislative elections as all candidates want to improve their public image.

But he urged the Lebanese to unite in order to face the regional and the international pressures.