Syrian Troops to Leave Beirut Within 2 Days, Lebanese Say
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BEIRUT — Syria will pull all its troops out of Beirut within 48 hours, Lebanese security sources said Sunday, extending a pullback that follows a Christian campaign against Syria’s domination of Lebanon.
Syria has moved troops out of at least 12 major bases and several other smaller positions since Thursday, an apparent concession to complaints from Lebanon’s Maronite Christians about the presence of about 30,000 Syrian troops in the country.
In the first official Syrian comment, parliament Speaker Abdel-Qader Qaddoura said the troop shift showed cooperation between Beirut and Damascus.
“The Syrian redeployment in Lebanon is part of the military policy between Syrian and Lebanese armies,” Qaddoura told the Arabic Radio Monte Carlo.
Witnesses said they saw Syrian troops handing over a large base on the seafront in West Beirut to the Lebanese army and other troops loading equipment onto trucks at nearby positions.
It was not clear whether the redeployment would result in an overall reduction in Syria’s military presence in Lebanon.
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