Syrian troops will pull out of Lebanon: US fury at unscheduled announcement of 'staggered' and partial withdrawal

In an unscheduled speech to parliament in Damascus, [Assad] said troops would withdraw first to the eastern Bekaa area of the country and then to the Syria-Lebanon border. Later, Syria's ambassador to Britain made clear that the pledge meant an eventual full withdrawal to within Syria. Assad�...

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Published inThe Observer (London)
Main Author Brian Whitaker Beirut Martin Bright and David Smith
Format Newspaper Article
LanguageEnglish
Published London (UK) Guardian News & Media Limited 06.03.2005
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Summary:In an unscheduled speech to parliament in Damascus, [Assad] said troops would withdraw first to the eastern Bekaa area of the country and then to the Syria-Lebanon border. Later, Syria's ambassador to Britain made clear that the pledge meant an eventual full withdrawal to within Syria. Assad's comments were greeted with cheers from inside parliament and from crowds listening outside the building. But last night Washington strongly criticised Assad for announcing only a partial pull-back. 'The Syrian and Lebanese governments need to respect the will of the Lebanese people and the Lebanese must be able to express themselves, free from intimidation and the threat of violence.
ISSN:0029-7712