NEWS: Syria to pull back troops by end of March

With pressure from the US and other nations Syria has declared it will pull troops back. It will not completely remove troops but will pull troops back the eastern border of Lebanon by the end of the month. This is a step forward for the Lebanese people and their quest for true independence.



After protests from the people of Lebanon and the pressure from other Nations Syria is finally redrawing troops from Lebanon. This could lead to peace in the Middle East, something few people thought they would see this. If this keeps up, maybe this will be an example to other nations that they can become great without violence.

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[edit on 7-3-2005 by James the Lesser]

Ummmm, they're just pulling back to their strategic stronghold in the Bekka Valley. They're still occupying.

Also, they've made no mention about demilitarizing Hizbullah--which is essentially a Syrian/Iranian controlled military force. So as long as Hizbullah is armed, Syria has not withdrawn. They've made no mention of withdrawing Iraninan "advisors", so as long as Iranian troops are in Lebanon, they haven't withdrawn. They have made no mention of pulling out their paramilitaries, secret police, and spies from Lebanon, so, in fact, they are still occupying Lebanon. They've made no mentions of having open elections and removing their appointed lackeys from office, so, in fact, they still occupy Lebanon.

Until Assad makes a clear move to do all of the above, no, they haven't been disuaded by the force of diplomacy. Moving troops into the terrorist training, drug dealing hotbed of Bekka Valley hardly constitutes a withdrawl. By the way, in his most recent talk to Arab media, Assad made no mention of an actual withdrawl of troops--just redployment. And he was quite ambivalent about conceding anything else, nor agreeing to anything else or any deadlines.

You very rarely get anything from dictators just by asking nicely.

that's what you call a measured response, if the international community starts squeezing them really hard, they give a few inches, but try to keep one foot between the door. They have to be squeezed again to get that other foot out, but meanwhile, they manage to buy time , postpone an immediate war and safe some face...


[edit on 8-3-2005 by Countermeasures]

I was under the impression that the troops would be pulled out if Lebanon asked them to. At least that is what Syria's leader has said. People have this image of the Syrians occupying like say the US forces are in Iraq, that is not the case though.

It has all been blown out of proportion again.

would a puppet government ask the puppetmaster to leave ?
They had to resign because they couldn't sell it to the crowd on the streets, allthough i still have some doubts about who blew that lebanese guy to smithereens, it seemed more like a galvanizing element to step up the war on terror than to benefit Syrias game, or maybe he just overplayed his hand, who knows ???


[edit on 8-3-2005 by Countermeasures]

Hezbollah sponsered protest in the streets of Beruit is like the Pro Castro protest in Havanna.
"Show up because we know where you live!"