Japan, Germany welcome Syria's pullout from Lebanon

The Japanese government welcomed President Bashar al-Assad's decision to withdraw all the Syrian troops from Lebanon. In a statement issued on Monday, the Japanese Foreign Ministry expressed hope that the Syrian procedures will reflect positively the situation in Lebanon.

For its part, Germany also welcomed the Syrian troops pullout from Lebanon. In a statement, German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer said " Syria's recent announcement to pullout all its troops from Lebanon is a positive step in the right direction."