UN, Syria Agree on Two-stage Pullout, Troops Cross Borders

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 Further, a significant number of these Syrian forces, including intelligence (personnel), will be withdrawn from Lebanon into Syria during this stage,” Larsen said in a statement.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He said once troops were withdrawn to the borders “Syria would have fulfilled its commitment towards the Taif Agreement and implemented resolution 1559”.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

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.