BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) - More than 1,000 of the estimated 20,000 Syrian
troops in Lebanon began dismantling bases near Beirut Tuesday in
preparation for redeploying closer to the Syrian border or leaving
Lebanon, a senior Lebanese military official said.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Associated
Press that Syrian soldiers began evacuating hilltop positions in the
coastal towns of Aramoun, Chuweifat, Damour, Doha and Khaldeh, south of
Beirut, in the first stage of a major Syrian redeployment. The move,
though, fell short of withdrawal, the official said. The U.N. Security
Council has demanded withdrawal of all foreign forces from Lebanon.
The official expected the Syrian redeployment to be completed in a few
days.
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.
Syria, the main power broker in Lebanon, has about 20,000 troops here.
AP-ES-09-21-04 0443EDT
[Homestead] Troublemaker Syria pulling out of Lebanon,
Tvoivozhd, 09/21/2004