Syria Committed to Withdraw From Lebanon

DAMASCUS, Syria – Syria will abide by a 1989 agreement in withdrawing its troops from Lebanon, the Foreign Ministry said Thursday in the first government statement since an international uproar arose against Damascus from the Feb. 14 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

Lebanese officials confirmed the withdrawl of troops from the coast and mountain areas to the eastern Bekaa Valley on the Syrian border, but gave no timeframe.

“The decision to withdraw has been taken,” said Defense Minister Abdul-Rahim Murad in television interviews. “What remains is the exact timing.”

Lebanese and Syrian military officers have begun meetings to define “the dates and the way” the withdrawal will take place, Murad said.

Syria also offered to help Lebanon with the investigation into Hariri’s slaying.

“The important withdrawals which have already been carried out and what will be carried out later will be in agreement with Lebanon based on the Taif Accord,” a statement said, referring to the 1989 Arab-brokered pact.

Hariri and 16 others died in a bombing that destroyed his motorcade of armor-plated vehicles. More than 100 people were injured. Since then, there have been loud and massive demonstrations against Syria and the Damascus-allied Lebanese government, as well as calls for Syria to withdraw its troops.

Thursday’s announcement did not break new ground in Syria’s long-standing policy on Lebanon, where it has 15,000 troops and is the main power broker.

“Syria once again affirms its commitment to implement the Taif agreement and the bilateral agreements between Lebanon and Syria,” the Foreign Ministry statement said.

It did not give a timetable but noticeably referred to “withdrawals,” and not just deployment, the term used for past troop movements.

“Speeding up the pace of withdrawals requires enabling the Lebanese army and internal security forces to fill the vacuum that could take place in a way that does not undermine the security of Lebanon and Syria,” said the statement, apparently explaining why Syria may not be considering an immediate and total pullout as demanded by the United Nations, the Bush administration and others.

Syria, which sent its army into Lebanon in 1976 amid a civil war, has for many years pledged to implement that Taif agreement that ended the 1975-90 conflict. Its troops once numbered 35,000, and it has redeployed them several times since 2000. But a withdrawal to the eastern Bekaa Valley near the border that was scheduled for the early 1990s, and an eventual total pullout – both parts of the Taif Accord – were never implemented.

Pressure against Syria has grown inside Lebanon and from abroad since the bombing, which opponents blame on Syria and the Lebanese government. Both deny the accusations.

A U.N. Security Council resolution in September demanded Syria withdraw its troops, and President Bush increased the pressure Wednesday, reiterating that “the position of our government is Syria must withdraw not only the troops, but its secret services from Lebanon.”

The Syrian Foreign Ministry statement warned against “provocation and incitement from some inside Lebanon and abroad,” saying such behavior may damage the interests of all parties, particularly Lebanon.

The Lebanese opposition has accused the pro-Syrian Lebanese government and Syria of having a hand in the assassination of Hariri, who was tilting toward the opposition as Lebanon prepares to hold parliamentary elections in April and May.

The Syrian statement also said Damascus was ready to “offer any assistance Lebanon requires” in the investigation and affirms its “extreme interest in completing the investigation … as soon as possible to unveil the truth, away from the emotional accusations and irresponsible statements.”

The United Nations, Washington and others joined with Hariri’s family to demand an international investigation into the bombing. Lebanon has expressed willingness to cooperate with international experts. A U.N. team dispatched by U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan was expected in Beirut later Thursday.