On the redeployment of the Syrian forces in Lebanon
News reports quoted a Lebanese minister who asked not to be identified as saying on Tuesday that some 7,000 Syrian soldiers had left Beirut and its suburbs since June 14 in the framework of a partial withdrawal operation.
In the first official Lebanese commentary on the details of the Israeli withdrawal, the minister added that 7,000 out of 10,000 Syrian soldiers who are deployed in Beirut and its quarters had left these areas, noting that the redeployment process of the Syrians is about to be completed in Greater Beirut, where there are only few number of positions that will be evacuated in the coming hours.
In London, the London- based al-Sharq al-Awsat daily quoted a Lebanese reference whose identity was not revealed that the redeployment step will be consolidated by convening the Syrian- Lebanese higher council at the presidential level very soon, noting that the Syrian decision will be translated later into a clear political attitude reflecting the sincere intention of Damascus towards Beirut.
The paper quoted Lebanese political circles which follow up the file of relations with Syria that Damascus wanted to launch positive titles in various directions, Lebanese and foreign, and that President Bashar al-Assad who has resumed his contacts with the Lebanese leaderships wanted to give the Lebanese a present, just few days from the first anniversary of the demise of the late Syrian President Hafez al-Assad and this present was manifested in the partial redeployment in Beirut as a sign of openness on certain group of the Lebanese people especially Christians.
For its part the United Arab Emirates UAE daily al-Khaleij said that it is a big mistake to be made by those who support or even oppose Syria is to view the redeployment of the Syrian army is a sign of Syrian weakness.
The paper added in a commentary issued on Tuesday that Syria starts from a strong position while taking its decision to redeploy its forces in Lebanon with the aim of redrawing the map of its general attitude in Lebanon, noting that meeting the need to surpass the Taif agreement in terms of the relations to the Syrian- Lebanese relations and to work for drawing a new agreement stems from facts of strategic and military integration between the two states.