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Syrian forces to start major Lebanon redeployment
A senior Syrian military delegation will hold talks with Lebanese army commanders on Tuesday to give the signal for a major Syrian troop redeployment, Lebanese security sources said. The move comes 19 days after the UN Security Council adopted a resolution demanding Syria withdraw its forces from Lebanon and stop interfering in its neighbour's internal affairs.
The sources said the Syrian and Lebanese armies were expected to issue a statement shortly declaring the start of the redeployment of Syrian forces from positions in northern Lebanon and around Beirut to the Bekaa Valley near the border with Syria. Lebanese forces were expected to take over the evacuated positions, the sources said. The United States and France drafted Security Council Resolution 1559 after Syria, which has about 17,000 troops in Lebanon, asked top officials in Lebanon to extend the mandate of its close ally President Emile Lahoud despite local opposition. The Lebanese parliament brushed aside the resolution, which also called for foreign armies to leave Lebanon, and amended the constitution to allow Lahoud to serve three more years. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan is expected to report back to the Security Council on compliance with the resolution by October 2. |
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