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Bush orders withdrawal as Arab states seek solution
 The United States and France stepped up calls Wednesday for a Syrian withdrawal from Lebanon as Arab countries attempted to strike a formula that combines United Nations Resolution 1559 with the provisions of the Taif Accord to help Syria avoid a showdown with the world. U.S. President George W. Bush bluntly ordered Syria to withdraw its troops and intelligence services from Lebanon immediately, dismissing Syrian President Bashar Assad's pledge to pullout "in the next few months". Bush said: "The world is speaking with one voice when it comes to making sure that democracy has a chance to flourish in Lebanon." In an attempt to formulate an Arab initiative to the escalating international pressure on Damascus, Egypt's foreign minister said the United Nations should be involved in a Syrian pullout. Following a meeting with his Saudi counterpart Prince Saud al-Faisal Syrian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit said: "A mechanism is being discussed for the implementation of Resolution 1559 and on ways in which the UN could be involved." In an interview with Reuters news agency, Syria's U.K. ambassador, Sami Khiyami confirmed Egypt and Saudi Arabia were among a number of Arab states seeking to combine Resolution 1559 with the provisions of the Taif Accord that ended Lebanon's 1975-90 civil war. Posted by: Fred 2005-03-03 |
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