Lebanonwire.com | Syrian troops quit Lebanon after 29 years of domination

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April 26, 2005

Syrian troops quit Lebanon after 29 years of domination
by Nayla Razzouk

MASNAA, Lebanese-Syrian border - Lebanese danced with joy and Syrians waved national flags as the last Syrian troops crossed the border back home Tuesday, ending a 29-year presence in Lebanon and ushering in a new era for its tiny neighbour.

The pullout was carried out under intense international pressure following the February killing of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri that plunged the country into turmoil unseen since the 1975-1990 civil war.

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said he could not yet verify the withdrawal, while Syria's archfoe Israel said it hoped the operation could also signal the end to anti-Israeli Hezbollah guerrillas.

Once the last troops and intelligence agents crossed the Masnaa border crossing, Lebanese finally dared to celebrate the end of Damascus's domination of their everyday lives.

Between fellow soldiers, the atmosphere was more cordial.

"We will never forget you, we will always be together," Lebanese troops shouted to departing Syrians at a military ceremony in the eastern Bekaa Valley attended by the top brass from both countries. "We salute you."

Waving and smiling, the last soldiers left Lebanese soil at Masnaa in a convoy of buses bearing Syrian flags and pictures of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his late father Hafez.

The Lebanese marked their passage by bursting into song and dance at the border while in Syria, flag-waving residents awaiting their returning troops carried banners proclaiming: "We have missed you, defenders of the homeland."

"We have accomplished the sacred mission of defending Arab Lebanon and its dignity," said Syrian army chief of staff Ali Habib at the farewell ceremony.

"Syria gave and will continue to give anything to protect Lebanon."

A monument was unveiled to honour 12,000 Syrian soldiers killed in Lebanon.

Damascus later formally notified the United Nations of the "complete withdrawal" of its troops and intelligence agents in a letter to Annan.

The UN chief said in a report to the Security Council that he had received assurances from both Lebanon and Syria that Syrian military intelligence had not stayed behind.

"Some (UN) member states, as well as members of the Lebanese opposition, have asserted to me that Syrian military intelligence has taken up new positions in the south of Beirut and elsewhere," Annan said.

"The governments of Lebanon and Syria have assured me that this is not the case," Annan said in the report on Syrian steps to comply with Security Council Resolution 1559, which calls for the withdrawal of foreign troops from Lebanon.

The secretary general said he could not actually verify Syria's pullout until a technical team reported back to him.

Among those leaving Tuesday was the once feared head of Syrian intelligence in Lebanon, Rustom Ghazaleh, the symbol of the military and political power Damascus wielded in its neighbour.

The Beirut press highlighted the "historic" pullout but focused too on challenges ahead, including holding elections next month, sorting out the debt-ridden economy and redefining relations with Syria.

The Lebanese face "the task of managing their own affairs, and there is an awful lot of work to be done," said the English-language Daily Star.

Lebanon's parliament was debating the new government's policy statement ahead of a confidence vote expected the next day, paving the way for the adoption of a law to allow elections to go ahead as planned by the end of May.

Syria has been the main powerbroker in Lebanon since it first deployed troops as a buffer force a year after the 1975 outbreak of the civil war, and Damascus further tightened its grip after the conflict ended in 1990.

The force reached a peak of 40,000 during the war but was whittled down during a series of deployments over the past few years.

And despite the withdrawal, the US State Department said it was concerned over Syria's continuing interference in Lebanon. "The jury is still out on whether Syrian interference in Lebanese affairs has come to an end," it said.

The UN team charged with verifying the withdrawal was due to meet the Syrian army command in Damascus to obtain maps and documents before travelling on to Lebanon.

Israel hailed the departure of Syrian troops but stressed that it also wanted to see the back of the Shiite militia Hezbollah.

"After the Syrian occupation of Lebanon comes to an end, we hope to see the Hezbollah occupation end as well," Deputy Prime Minister Shimon Peres said.

But Lebanese prime minister-designate Nagib Miqati rejected international demands for the disarming of the militia which controls the border region of southern Lebanon facing Israel.

"The government considers that the armed Lebanese resistance epitomises the people's right to defend its land and dignity against Israeli aggression and threats until the complete liberation of Lebanese territory," he told