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Syria, Lebanon Announce Partial Pullback

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By BASSEM MROUE, Associated Press Writer

DAMASCUS, Syria - The presidents of Syria and Lebanon announced Monday that Syrian forces will pull back to Lebanon's eastern Bekaa Valley by March 31, but a complete troop withdrawal will be deferred until after later negotiations.

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Later, Syrian military vehicles and personnel were seen moving east in the first signs of a pullback. Syrian troops in the region had stayed put for days before Monday's movement.

The announcement, made after a meeting between Syrian President Bashar Assad and Lebanese President Emile Lahoud, said Syria's 14,000 troops will pull back from northern and central Lebanon to the east, near Syria's border.

Then, military officials from both countries will decide within a month how many Syrian troops will remain in the Bekaa Valley and how long they will stay there. The soldiers have been in Lebanon for 29 years.

After a negotiated timeframe, the two governments will "agree to complete the withdrawal of the remaining forces," the statement said.

In Beirut, at least 70,000 people