WASHINGTON - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad`s pledge to redeploy troops in Lebanon divided world opinion on Sunday, with some leaders describing the move as a welcome first step but the United States leading complaints it was not enough.
The promise to pull Syria`s 14,000 troops in Lebanon back to the border was seen as an attempt to ease international pressure on Damascus, which has mounted since the assassination last month of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri.
However there was criticism of Assad`s failure to set a timetable for the move, the ambiguity over whether the redeployed troops would actually leave Lebanon and the lack of mention of Syrian intelligence agents in the country.
"It`s clear to us, not just the United States, but the international community, that his words are insufficient," US State Department spokesman Adam Ereli said on Al-Hurra television. "We have not heard the words: `immediate and full withdrawal`."
He insisted Damascus must comply with the demands of UN Resolution 1559 and withdraw from Lebanon and stop influencing the country`s politics.
"That`s what`s at the center of the resolution, and we expect the implementation of that resolution. And we did not hear that in Assad`s speech," the US official told Al-Hurra.
French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier, though, said: "A promise made on a solemn occasion has come from the mouth of the Syrian president to apply resolution 1559."
Barnier added that "what is important is that the withdrawal of the Syrian troops, the Syrian intelligence services, be an effective and complete withdrawal."
The European Union`s top foreign policy representative, Javier Solana, called on Syria to provide "a specific timetable and a mechanism of withdrawal as soon as possible."
A spokesman for UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said Annan would dispatch special envoy Terje Roed-Larsen to the region to press for a full Syrian withdrawal, as called for by the Security Council.
"(Annan) has requested his special envoy, Mr. Terje Roed-Larsen, to travel to Beirut and Damascus this week to discuss with Lebanese and Syrian officials the full, complete and immediate implementation of Security Council resolution 1559," spokesman Fred Eckhard said.
In Ottawa, Canadian Foreign Minister Pierre Pettigrew echoed Washington`s comments.
"Today`s announcement by Syria of a redeployment of its troops to the Bekaa Valley and from there to the Syrian-Lebanese border falls short of Syria`s obligations and the requirements of the people of Lebanon and the international community," he said in a statement.
However reactions within the Middle East were more positive, with Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit hailing Assad`s promise to pull back his troops as proof that the Syrian leader intended to comply with the resolution.
"It`s important to treat the situation in Lebanon with extreme sensitivity and caution to prevent any explosion of the situation, while at the same time working calmly to achieve a Syrian withdrawal that preserves the security and stability of fraternal Lebanon," he said.
Arab League head Amr Mussa said the move represented the start of a positive process as it "signifies that the Syrian president is moving towards a withdrawal".
For Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, the speech was an "encouraging step forwards", his spokesmam Suleiman Awwad told the Mena news agency.
That view of "a positive step" toward complying with the UN resolution was echoed in a statement from the Gulf Cooperation Council, comprising Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman.
Iran, Syria`s chief ally in the region, lashed out against the pressure imposed on Syria, saying it was merely part of a plot orchestrated by Israel.
"It should be noted that the pressure on Syria, using the pretext of pulling out of Lebanon, is apparently a predetermined plan by the Zionist regime in order to guarantee the expansionist policies of Israel," said foreign ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi.
Israeli troops occupy the Shebaa Farm border territories, which are claimed by Lebanon. Militant Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said Sunday he was "optimistic" about an Israeli withdrawal soon. The region was seized by Israel from Syria during the 1967 war.
Israel, for its part, on Sunday accused Syria of being involved in terrorism and reiterated demands for a total withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon.
"The Syrians are dangerous. They have always been involved in terrorist attacks on Israel on the one hand, and on Americans in Iraq on the other," Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom said on Israeli public radio before leaving for the United States.
"Syria is doing everything it can to not implement United Nations Security Council resolution 1559, which calls for a total withdrawal of its troops from Lebanon... The redeployment announced by (Syrian President Bashar) Assad is purely a cosmetic measure. It is unacceptable."

03/06/2005 19:53 GMT