Syria

April 2005 | Risk Summary

Damascus has pledged to fully withdraw its troops and intelligence units from Lebanon, but some remain sceptical, including US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice. Syria had completed the first phase of its military withdrawal in early April: 4000 troops had returned to Syria, and 10,000 had been redeployed in the eastern Bekaa Valley region. Under pressure from the US, Damascus also agreed to complete a full withdrawal before Lebanon's May parliamentary elections. However, the clandestine nature of intelligence operations means it will be difficult to verify whether Syria has genuinely relinquished its role in Lebanese politics, and Rice has expressed

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