LEBANON: SYRIAN TROOPS WITHDRAW FROM BEKAA VALLEY, LEBANON AND CROSS THE BORDER INTO SYRIA.

Record ID: 276785

  • Title: LEBANON: SYRIAN TROOPS WITHDRAW FROM BEKAA VALLEY, LEBANON AND CROSS THE BORDER INTO SYRIA.
  • Date: 28th March 2005
  • Summary: (BN07) BEKAA, LEBANON (MARCH 28, 2005) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) +++NIGHT SHOTS+++ 1. VARIOUS: OF TRUCKS PULLING ARTILLERY AND LEAVING THEIR SITE TO GO TO LEBANESE-SYRIAN BORDER. (3 SHOTS) 1.18 +++DAY SHOTS+++ 2. WS/MLV: OF SYRIAN SOLDIERS CLEANING THEIR SITE BEFORE DEPARTING. (2 SHOTS) 1.32 3. WS: SYRIAN TRUCK CARRYING SOL
  • Embargoed: 12th April 2005 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: BEKAA, LEBANON
  • Country: Lebanon
  • Reuters ID: LVA191GBJ9OHVR4KV3UAWHXLL6D3
  • Story Text: Syrian troops have abandoned their last air defence
    positions in neighbouring Lebanon and crossed the border
    home.



    Syrian troops have abandoned their last air defence
    positions in neighbouring Lebanon and crossed the border
    home, in the last such move expected this month, security
    sources say.

    Facing immense international pressure and popular
    Lebanese protest, Syria has promised to withdraw all the
    military personnel, intelligence agents and equipment it
    poured into Lebanon early in the country's 1975-1990 civil
    war.

    Damascus has completed the first stage of a two-phase
    withdrawal plan, pulling back to Lebanon's eastern Bekaa
    Valley and withdrawing over a third of its 14,000 troops
    completely.

    Earlier this week, it pulled troops out of around a
    dozen positions in the Bekaa. On Sunday (March 28), it left
    its two largest and last anti-aircraft positions, the
    sources said.

    A Syrian-Lebanese military committee is due to meet in
    early April to set a timeline for withdrawing the remaining
    forces.

    United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has said he
    expects Syria to complete the pull out before Lebanese
    general elections due in May.



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