Syria Pulls Back Troops in Lebanon

The Damascus government made the decision to pull its troops back to Bekaa Valley in compliance with the Taif Accord of 1989 which ended a civil war in this country. The accord envisioned the "complete withdrawal" of Syrian soldiers to be transferred to the eastern Bekaa Valley near the Syrian border. Syria, however, set some preconditions regarding the issue. Syria became a dominant force when it deployed troops in Lebanon after the civil war continued between 1975 and 1990.

Damascus announced that it is ready to co-operate with a United Nations’ (UN) resolution calling on Syria to end its 29-year military existence in Lebanon. Lebanese Prime Minister Omar Karami said that a "rapid pullout might cause instability in Lebanon." Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Velid Muallim warned that "possible provocations" targeting the Beirut and Damascus governments might create negative results.

Lebanese Defense Minister Abdulrahim Murad explained that officials from both countries made the decision regarding base deployment of Syrian forces for the sixth time and that after this "transition," all Syrian troops will be stationed in Bekaa Valley. "The decision to withdraw has been made. What remains to be decided is the exact timing," Murad told Syrian television. The Taif Accord requires that Syria and Lebanon agree to a withdrawal schedule, but because the Lebanese government is currently under Syrian guardianship, reconciliation has mostly been left to the Damascus administration’s initiative.

At this point, the UN Security Council interfered due to US pressure and called on Syria to immediately pull back its troops in Lebanon and end Syrian domination in that country. Pressure on Damascus intensified after the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, who had demanded that Syria withdraw its military forces, and US President George W. Bush’s success in obtaining "approval" from the major European Union (EU) countries, primarily France, to interfere with Syria. The pressure on Damascus became "unbearable." Moreover, the US raised its threat to impose sanctions on Syria for supporting terrorism.

The number of Syrian garrison troops in Lebanon was once 40,000 but is currently at about 15,000. Syria has been deploying troops to Lebanon since 1976, one year after the eruption of the civil war, but has recently begun pulling some of its troops back. In the "withdrawal to Bekaa" operation, Syria fulfilled six military rotations in Lebanon, but it is not promising a "definite withdrawal." Israel has described the pullout as affirmative.