SYRIA began to pull its troops from positions that overlook Beirut yesterday and agreed to redeploy all Syrian forces in Lebanon to the eastern Bekaa Valley by the end of the month.

But the offer, made after a meeting between President Assad of Syria and President Lahoud of Lebanon, fell well short of the withdrawal from Lebanon demanded by the international community. It also failed to placate tens of thousands of Lebanese protesters, who packed central Beirut.

Syria agreed to withdraw about 5,000 troops from the mountains above Beirut and from around the northern city of Tripoli to join the main Syrian force in the eastern Bekaa, adjacent to the Syrian border.

Seven heavily laden military lorries and two Jeeps were seen leaving Syrian positions. A Lebanese army officer said that the full redeployment of Syrian forces was not expected to begin for several days. It should be completed by March 31.

Military officials from both countries will decide then how many troops will remain in the Bekaa and how long they will stay there. After further negotiations, Beirut and Damascus will “agree to complete the withdrawal of the remaining forces”, a statement said.

Last night, an unnamed Syrian official claimed that Syria would also withdraw its 4,000 intelligence officers from Lebanon, but did not say when. It is the first time pulling out intelligence officers from its neighbour had been mentioned.

During the meeting Mr Lahoud thanked Mr Assad for Syria’s assistance in helping to end the 1975-90 civil war and expressed “appreciation for the sacrifices made by the Syrian Army in Lebanon”, according to the president’s spokesman.

Syria has faced calls to withdraw its forces from Lebanon since the assassination last month of Rafik Hariri, a former Lebanese Prime Minister, which caused a wave of anti-Syrian feeling in Beirut.

The United States dismissed yesterday’s redeployment plan as a “half measure” that failed to take into account the demands of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1559, passed last September, which calls for a full withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon and an end to meddling in Lebanese affairs by Damascus.

Scott McClellan, the White House spokesman, said: “The Lebanese people are speaking very clearly. They want a future that is sovereign, independent and free from outside influence.” Referring to the Lebanese elections, planned for May, he said: “For them to be free, fair and credible, Syria needs to get out of Lebanon now.”

Germany, France and Britain also urged Syria to remove its forces swiftly. “We expect Syria to withdraw its troops and security services completely and as quickly as possible,” said Gerhard Schröder, the German Chancellor, and President Chirac of France.

Jack Straw, the Foreign Secretary, said that Syria’s move was welcome as a “first step”, but he added: “We expect to see rapid progress to the withdrawal of Syrian troops from the whole of Lebanon.”

Thousands of Lebanese were unimpressed by the gesture. As the two presidents met in Damascus, more than 30,000 Lebanese demonstrated in Martyrs’ Square, in central Beirut, marking the third week of protests since Hariri’s murder. They marched from the square to the spot where the bomb had killed Hariri and 18 others.

Pro-government supporters intend to stage a counter-demonstration near Martyrs’ Square today. At Dahr al-Baidar, the lofty, snow-streaked mountain pass on the main road between Beirut and the Bekaa Valley, an aged Syrian army lorry ground to a halt in a cloud of diesel smoke, having inched painfully up a steep side road. During the initial redeployment, Dahr al-Baidar will be the western limit of Syrian forces in Lebanon.

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