THOUSANDS of Syrian troops crossed the border from Lebanon yesterday in the first phase of a withdrawal that is expected to end their 29-year military occupation of the country.

Crowds of Syrian civilians braved heavy snow to greet the convoy carrying troops and equipment across the frontier. Some handed flowers to the soldiers, while others threw rice, rose petals and sweets in a traditional Arab welcome and sang patriotic songs.

The withdrawal was the result of Lebanon’s three-week “cedar revolution”, in which thousands of people took to the streets of Beirut, the capital, to call for the Syrian troops’ departure.

It was greeted coolly by America which insists that Syria must comply with United Nations resolution 1559 by immediately withdrawing all 14,000 of its troops. “We are looking for action from Syria,” said Richard Boucher, a State Department, spokesman. “We are not looking for rhetoric.”

The pull-out was discussed yesterday at a meeting between Bashar Assad, the Syrian president, and Terje Roed-Larsen, a UN envoy. Roed-Larsen said afterwards Assad had agreed to withdraw all Syrian troops and intelligence agents from Lebanon and said he would reveal details of the timetable to Kofi Annan, the UN secretary-general, early this week.

A two-stage withdrawal was announced by Assad in a rare speech to his country’s parliament last weekend. In the first stage soldiers began to move from the north of Lebanon into the eastern Beka’a valley near the Syrian border last Tuesday.

Although pledging to withdraw his troops to the Beka’a by the end of this month, Assad did not annnouce when the last of them would leave Lebanon. Some 3,000 are expected to remain in the Beka’a while final negotiations are completed with the Lebanese government.

Security sources said the Syrians had not yet vacated several intelligence posts in and around the northern town of Tripoli, but could do so within 24 hours.

The departing Syrian forces leave behind an unstable political situation in Lebanon. The reappointment last week of Omar Karami, the pro-Syrian former Lebanese prime minister, has prompted opposition members to refuse to join the government.

It has also ignited concerns that Damascus aims to continue its involvement in Lebanese politics, despite the passions aroused during three weeks of demonstrations prompted by the assassination of Rafik Hariri, the former prime minister, on February 14.

Karami said he planned to meet supporters and opposition figures early this week to try to form a cabinet. “These difficult times require a government of national unity,” he said.

The chances of ending the stalemate look thin, however. If Karami fails to form a cabinet by next month it may not be possible under the constitution to hold elections in May as planned. This could plunge Lebanon into a political vacuum and there are fears of a possible return to the strife that ripped the country apart during the 1975-90 civil war.

In a further development Hezbollah, the militant group, announced last week that it would intensify its role in Lebanese politics. “Lebanon is at a crossroads. This requires we be more active,” said Naiim Qassem, its deputy general secretary.

In a dramatic show of its influence, at least half a million of its supporters gathered in central Beirut last Tuesday to protest against a provision in resolution 1559 calling for its disarmament. The demonstrators fear that American pressure will lead to an Israeli-Lebanese peace treaty being imposed. oEgypt yesterday released Ayman Nour, an opposition leader detained since January. Nour said he will run for president under plans announced last month for the country’s first direct multi-party elections. His detention had caused tension with America.

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