Posted on 04/27/2006 4:59:47 AM PDT by unionblue83
WASHINGTON – On April 26, 2005, pictures of the "last" Syrian soldiers were seen around the world. Today, on the first annual withdrawal of the Syrian regular forces from Lebanon, there are reasons for celebration and other reasons for great concern.
While Syrian road blocks have vanished from Beirut and the various regions of Lebanon, many questions are still troubling the minds of most Lebanese and their friends around the world. The truth – the whole truth – is not yet fully out in the open.
What caused the abrupt Syrian withdrawal, and is the latter complete? What is causing the non-fulfillment of U.N. resolution 1559 which called for liberation and disarming? What can the United States, Europe and the international community do to help Lebanon's civil society – one year after its supposed emancipation – regain its place among democracies?
When reviewing the events leading to the Syrian redeployment out of Lebanon in April 2005, and the developments that followed since until April of this year, one can note the following realities:
(Excerpt) Read more at wnd.com ...
Bump
pong
Wherever there are muslims-islamists-arabs, there will be conflict, war, destruction and death. No way around it.
One year after pullout, Lebanon has a three month old baby boy.
Sorry, couldn't resist.
Understand. I thought along the same lines when I saw the title. Had to post it though since I really like to read what Dr. Phares has to say.
Check this out and notice the date. It seems that the Syrian withdrawal was already planned for the end of winter 2005. It seems too that the radar question was dropped. I saved the text file to my computer by then:
"November 24, 2004
DEBKAfile’s Exclusive Military Sources Report:
Syrian and Lebanese military staffs have begun jointly
planning the exit by winter’s end of most of the
13,000 Syrian troops deployed in Lebanon. This has not
been announced publicly by Damascus but conveyed this
week in two key conversations: Syrian foreign minister
Farouq Shara delivered this assurance to US secretary
of state Colin Powell on NOvember 23 at the Sharm
al-Sheikh conference on Iraq; President Bashir Assad
then gave the news to UN Middle East envoy Terje
Larsen who visited the Syrian capital a day later.
According to our sources, both will report to their
principals that Syria has decided to retain in Lebanon
only 4 radar stations – one each atop Mt. Barukh and
Mt. Sanin in central Lebanon, one at the Dahar al
Baidar keypoint commanding the Beirut-Damascus highway
and the fourth at Bsharri in the north.
Syria will not be removing quite all its troops.
Evoking its mutual defense pact with Beirut, Damascus
will retain between 3,000 and 5,000 soldiers in
Lebanon to defend its radar stations and their
approaches.
In the two conversations, The Syrian president and
foreign minister stated that a decision had been taken
to abide by Security Council resolution 1559 on
Lebanese sovereignty. But they also pointed out that
once Syria had removed the bulk of its army from
Lebanon, it expected Israel to withdraw from the Golan
Heights in line with Security Council resolutions 338
and 224."
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