Two American diplomats renewed calls yesterday for Syria to pull its troops out of Lebanon, 48 hours after a US Congress delegation made a similar plea, in what analysts said could presage further sanctions by Washington against Damascus. Vincent Battle, the US ambassador to Beirut, told the Lebanese daily An-Nahar that it "was time the Syrian Army withdrew from Lebanon" so that the country "could enjoy total sovereignty". He added that differences between Washington and Beirut were growing over the question of southern Lebanon and the Hezbollah resistance group which holds sway there and is branded a "terrorist organization" by the US government. "We have begun talks with the Lebanese government with a view to deploying the Lebanese Army in southern Lebanon and disarming Hezbollah, but they haven't brought about a result for the time being."
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