Larsen: total agreement with Lebanese FM over withdrawal of the Syrian forces

The UN special envoy to Lebanon Terry Rod Larsen stressed that there is a total agreement with the Syrian foreign minister over UN resolutions 1559 which demands the withdrawal of the Syrian forces from Lebanon.

The UN envoy said he was able to get from the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who he had met earlier on Sunday in Aleppo a, schedule for complete withdrawal of the Syrian forces from Lebanon in implementation of UN resolution 1559 at two phases, noting he will not disclose this schedule before his meeting with the UN secretary general Kofi Annan this week.

On the other hand, the US daily, the Washington Post, said on Sunday quoting American sources and others at the UN that Syria vowed to withdraw one third of its forces from Lebanon as well as 5,000 intelligence members before the end of March.

The paper added that President Bashar al-Assad also stressed he will close the headquarters of the Syrian intelligence leadership in Beirut before the first of April. This was expressed during al-Assad's talks with Larsen in Aleppo.

Meantime, one Lebanese military source said that the Syrian forces continued on Sunday its withdrawal from the mountain which overlooks Beirut towards the Bekaa noting that this withdrawal will be completed within the few coming days.

The source explained that the Syrian soldiers evacuated their positions in Dhour al-Shweir, Bolonia to the northern east of Beirut, adding that the Syrian forces will keep one center in Daher al-Baidar heights and will be its first base after withdrawal in Jdeita, in the Bekaa.