UN turns up heat on Syria to pull out of Lebanon
Mr Annan’s demand was released in a written statement after the secretary-general met with his special envoy, Terje Roed-Larsen, who recently visited the region.
Mr Annan made explicit in the statement that the withdrawal would include “the intelligence apparatus and military assets.” His call echoed one from US President George Bush, who also has called on Syria to withdraw all troops before the elections.
UN Security Council resolution 1559, passed last year, demands Syria’s withdrawal from Lebanon.
So far, Syria has pulled back army and intelligence agents to eastern Lebanon, with about 4,000 troops having crossed into Syria. About 10,000 troops remain along the Lebanese side of the border.
Earlier Syria’s army and intelligence agents completed the first phase of their pullback to eastern Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley and Syria.
“They have finished their redeployment,” said a senior Lebanese army officer.
Of the 14,000 troops that were in Lebanon, at least 4,000 crossed into Syria in the past week and the rest remain in the Bekaa.
Syrian President Bashar Assad has promised to bring the troops back home in the second phase of redeployment, for which no date has been set.
Syria began the redeployment on March 8 after coming under international pressure to withdraw from Lebanon following the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in Beirut, which sparked weeks of anti-Syrian demonstrations.
The Lebanese opposition accused Syria and the Lebanese government of being behind the assassination. Both governments have denied the charges.
The withdrawal of the Syrian intelligence agents has been a key demand of the Lebanese opposition, which sees them as the main face of Syria’s long domination of the Lebanon. Though Syria had thousands of troops in Lebanon, it was usually the intelligence agents who carried out arrests and set up roadblocks and to whom Lebanese had to turn to get commercial permits and even settle disputes.
Meanwhile, a top Lebanese security chief said he and other officials are willing to stand trial to clear their names over opposition allegations of negligence in Mr Hariri’s assassination.
Jamil Sayyed, head of the powerful General Security Department and a close aide of President Emile Lahoud, lashed out at opposition demands for the resignation of security chiefs, indicating they will not step down.
He said he was starting legal proceedings to clear his name and those of other security agency heads.
The opposition is calling for resignations for political reasons, Mr Sayyed told a news conference. “Do not mix politics with crime. Let justice decide.”
“All the heads of security institutions are ready for trial and accountability,” Mr Sayyed said. “We have no secrets to be embarrassed of.” I have decided on behalf of the commanders without consulting them ... to sue ourselves through gathering all the information touching on the institutions ... so that responsibilities are determined,” he added.
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