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Annan expects full Syrian withdrawal ahead of polls
 UN Secretary General Kofi Annan expects a complete withdrawal of all Syrian forces from Lebanon before May's parliamentary elections. The announcement comes after UN special envoy to the Middle East Terje Roed-Larsen, reported his findings to Annan following his whistle stop tour of Europe and the Middle East during the last week. Following the meeting Larsen said: "The conclusion after my briefing today is that the secretary general expects the full withdrawal of all Syrian troops, including the intelligence apparatus and military assets, to take place before the Lebanese parliamentary election." Syria's President Bashar Assad has committed to a first-phase pullout of troops and intelligence agents by April 1 but will not give a final timetable for a complete withdrawal until a meeting between Syrian and Lebanese security officials scheduled for April 7. Posted by: Fred 2005-03-18 |
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| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=59164 |