Syria promised the UN on Tuesday that it will withdraw all troops from Lebanon before parliamentary elections but didn't mention a pullout of its intelligence operatives as demanded by the Security Council.
Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk al-Sharaa made the withdrawal pledge in a letter to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and the council, which was sharply critical of a UN-backed investigation into the killing of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
The date for parliamentary elections has not been set and the Syrian minister did not give a timetable for the pullout. Parliament's term ends on May 31 but there are doubts on whether the crucial elections can be held on time in April and May.
Last week, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and Syrian President Bashar Assad met on the sidelines of an Arab summit in Algiers and agreed that a timetable would be ready in time for a visit to Damascus by a UN envoy in the first week of April. Annan said he expects the envoy, Terje Roed-Larsen, to return with a "credible and well-defined timetable."
Al-Sharaa told the council that internal peace in Lebanon "enabled Syria automatically to reduce its forces in Lebanon from 40,000 to 10,000 troops."
"In addition, it will carry out a complete withdrawal of those troops before the coming elections in Lebanon," he said.
Syria sent troops to its smaller neighbor in 1976 to help quell what was then a year-old civil war but the troops remained after the war ended in 1990. Damascus is seen as pulling the strings in Lebanese politics -- most recently in pressing for a constitutional amendment to allow a second term for pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud.
The Security Council adopted a resolution on Sept. 2 last year calling on Syria to withdraw all its troops and intelligence operatives and urging Lebanon's parliament not to amend the constitution. Parliament approved an amendment hours later extending Lahoud's term for three years.
A UN-backed investigation into the Feb. 14 assassination of Hariri determined that Lebanon's authorities bungled, if not outright manipulated, their probe of the Hariri killing and demanded a new international investigation.
It did not directly blame Syria for the assassination of Hariri, an opponent of the Syrian presence in Lebanon, but said Damascus was behind the political tension and weak security that led to his death -- a conclusion al-Sharaa rejected.
The Syrian minister blamed the Security Council resolution for increasing tensions in Lebanon and creating a sharp political division in the country.
Heavy rain and strong winds yesterday disrupted flights, trains and ferries, forcing the closure of roads across large parts of New Zealand’s North Island, while snapping power links to tens of thousands. Domestic media reported a few flights had resumed operating by afternoon from the airport in Wellington, the capital, although cancelations were still widespread after airport authorities said most morning flights were disrupted. Air New Zealand said it hoped to resume services when conditions ease later yesterday, after it paused operations at Wellington, Napier and Palmerston North airports. Online images showed flooded semi-rural neighborhoods, inundated homes, trees fallen on vehicles and collapsed
FRAYED: Strains between the US-European ties have ruptured allies’ trust in Washington, but with time, that could be rebuilt, the Michigan governor said China is providing crucial support for Russia’s aggression in Ukraine and could end the war with a phone call, US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker said. “China could call [Russian President] Vladimir Putin and end this war tomorrow and cut off his dual-purpose technologies that they’re selling,” Whitaker said during a Friday panel at the Munich Security Conference. “China could stop buying Russian oil and gas.” “You know, this war is being completely enabled by China,” the US envoy added. Beijing and Moscow have forged an even tighter partnership since the start of the war, and Russia relies on China for critical parts
POST-UPRISING: Bangladesh Nationalist Party lawmakers were yesterday expected to formally elect Tarique Rahman as their leader and new head of government Bangladesh’s prime minister-to-be Tarique Rahman and lawmakers were yesterday sworn into parliament, becoming the first elected representatives since a deadly 2024 uprising. Rahman is set to take over from an interim government that has steered the country of 170 million people for 18 months since the autocratic government of Sheikh Hasina was overthrown. The lawmakers, who promised loyalty to Bangladesh, were sworn in by Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin. Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) lawmakers are expected to formally elect Rahman as their leader, with President Mohammed Shahabuddin then to administer the oath of office to the prime minister and his ministers
In a softly lit Shanghai bar, graduate student Helen Zhao stretched out both wrists to have her pulse taken — the first step to ordering the house special, a bespoke “health” cocktail based on traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). “TCM bars” have popped up in several cities across China, epitomizing what the country’s stressed-out, time-poor youth refer to as “punk wellness,” or “wrecking yourself while saving yourself.” At Shanghai’s Niang Qing, a TCM doctor in a white coat diagnoses customers’ physical conditions based on the pulse readings, before a mixologist crafts custom drinks incorporating the herbs and roots prescribed for their ailments.
RSS