Syrian Forces Begin Withdrawing From Areas Near Beirut Al Hayat 2004/09/21
Beirut
More than 1,000 of the estimated 20,000 Syrian troops in Lebanon began dismantling bases near Beirut early this morning, in preparation for redeploying closer to the Syrian border or leaving Lebanon, a senior Lebanese military official said.
Defense Minister Mahmoud Hammoud, speaking to reporters after a meeting of senior Lebanese and Syrian military officers in Beirut, had said the redeployment indicated that "the security situation in Lebanon is becoming more stabilized."
The move fell short of withdrawal, the official said, the Lebanese military official declared on condition of anonymity. Earlier this month, a divided UN Security Council passed a U.S.-backed resolution that demanded foreign forces leave Lebanon and a presidential election be held. Lebanese lawmakers nonetheless amended their constitution to keep pro-Syria President Emile Lahoud in office, reaffirming their loyalty to Damascus.
Syria sent troops to Lebanon in 1976 to help quell a civil war, then just a year old. The troops remained after the war ended in 1990, and Lebanon's government repeatedly said their presence has been a stabilizing factor. Syria's influence, though, is as much political as security, and the troops cement its dominance.
The military official said Syrian soldiers began evacuating hilltop positions in the coastal towns of Aramoun, Chuweifat, Damour, Doha and Khaldeh, and south of Beirut, in the first stage of a major redeployment.
The second phase will see Syrian troops withdrawing from eastern and northern areas as a prelude to redeploying in eastern Lebanon's Bekaa region or to the border, the official said.
The official expected the Syrian redeployment to be completed in a few days.
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