JERUSALEM - Israel expressed disappointment Saturday at a promise by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to redeploy Syrian troops to eastern Lebanon, stressing the need for a full withdrawal.
"The entire international community, some of the Arab states, and of course Israel, demands the full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1559 which calls for a full withdrawal of all Syrian trops from Lebanon," Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom said.
"That will allow for free and democratic elections in Lebanon and will allow the Lebanese people to chose their own respresentatives, to set up an independent state ... and maybe in the future, it will lead the people and the state towards a greater understanding of, and maybe even peace with, Israel," he said, speaking alongside visiting Jordanian counterpart Hani Mulki.
In a speech to parliament Saturday, Assad announced that Damascus would redeploy all its troops in Lebanon to the Syrian border but set no timetable for a full withdrawal.
It was not clear whether the troops would cross into Syria once they reached the border but the announcement marked the end of a 29 year period when Syrian troops have been stationed in the heart of the country.
Deputy Prime Minister Shimon Peres said Assad`s pledge "constituted an evasion and not a response to the Security Council decisions regarding the need for Syria to withdraw fully its forces from Lebanon.
"If Syria will withdraw its forces from Lebanon, then Israel can commence talks with Lebanon as Israel has neither territorial nor water issues with Lebanon," the Labour party leader said in a statement.
"There is no real problem standing between Israel and Lebanon."
03/05/2005 18:45 GMT