BEIRUT, 14 March 2005 — Protesters rallied yesterday to denounce a UN resolution demanding a Syrian military pullout as the government asserted its right to have a say in when the troops leave Lebanon. The pro-Syrian gathering in the southern city of Nabatiyeh drew 200,000 people and is expected to be followed today by an even larger demonstration by the country’s anti-Syrian opposition.
A series of street protests by opposition parties as well as those sympathetic to Damascus has rattled the government, with President Emile Lahoud grimly warning of a catastrophe if they continue.
Lahoud yesterday met with a special UN envoy and pledged to work with the United Nations to secure a full withdrawal of an estimated 14,000 Syrian troops and intelligence operatives from Lebanon.
But he also insisted that it was up to Lebanese and Syrian authorities to set the date for a final withdrawal that would end a near three-decade military presence.
Syrian forces in Lebanon began moving eastward last week, with some crossing the border back home.
The president, during a meeting with special UN envoy Terje Roed-Larsen, “vowed to cooperate fully with Larsen to facilitate his mission in Lebanon out of Lebanon’s conviction that all UN resolutions should be respected,” a presidential statement said.
But Lahoud also stressed that a date for a “full and final” Syrian withdrawal would be determined by both countries’ Cabinets and military leaderships, according to the statement. Roed-Larsen agreed that implementing UN Security Council Resolution 1559 could not come at the expense of Lebanese political stability, which has become increasingly fragile since the Feb. 14 killing of popular former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
