Syria expected to announce army pull-back

Syrian President Bashar Assad was expected to announce today the pull-back of his troops in Lebanon closer to the Syrian border, but US counterpart George W Bush has rejected anything but a full withdrawal as insufficient.

Assad’s announcement, expected to be made during a speech to his parliament, is seen as a bid to ease incessant Arab and US-led international pressure regarding the presence of 15,000 Syrian troops in Lebanon and the risk of isolation.