Just a security measure?

Syria has redeployed its troops in Lebanon but denies that the move is a result of opposition to its military presence. Zeina Abu Rizk reports from Beirut
Syrian troops began a long-awaited redeployment in Lebanon last week. Lebanese officials described the unexpected move as "purely" a "security measure." Few moves involving Syria's presence in Lebanon are without political import -- this being the Lebanon, interpretations of the pull are many.
The redeployment, carried out at the end of last week, extended to areas in Beirut and Mount Lebanon, where Syrian positions were either dismantled or evacuated. Official sources played down any political implications for the move. A source close to the Defence Ministry asserted that the withdrawal was the continuation of an ongoing operation that started two years ago. Syrian units, said the source, have already pulled away from positions in the North and the Beqaa Valley over the past two years. "This step, just like previous ones, is a security measure that should not be interpreted as a major military event or a political initiative," the source added.
But many people here suspect the argument that the move is not political. They believe that opposition to Damascus' tight political and military grip on Lebanon provoked the withdrawals.
There are many indications supporting the argument that this measure has more political implications than Syria and its allies would like to admit. On Thursday, an official statement from the Lebanese army directorate announced the move, something which would not have happened had the move been merely a "security measure." The announcement itself appears reason, for some, to believe that the move was aimed at defusing political tension in the country.
A Lebanese official source denied this, telling Al-Ahram Weekly that the decision to pull out was taken last year, but was suspended due to the wave of opposition to Damascus, which erupted after the summer parliamentary elections. "The atmosphere of challenge to Syria did not lead to today's pull- out. On the contrary, what it did was to halt a process that was decided a year ago," the source explained.
Former Lebanese Foreign Minister Fouad Butros, a popular Christian figure involved in mediations between Bkirki, the Maronite clergy's headquarters, and Damascus, explained that the move was the result of quite diplomacy between the two countries. After a visit to Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Nasrallah Butros Sfeir last Friday, Butros said the Syrian redeployment was "the fruit of dialogue" between Beirut and Damascus.
Observers think that an added political dimension of the Syrian pullout may be associated with last week's visit to the region by the United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan. Annan's trip included both Damascus and Beirut. The UN official met senior politicians in the two countries, in particular Assad and Lahoud. Observers argue that Damascus may have decided to undertake a partial withdrawal in return for guarantees related to the peace process in the region, an issue that may have been discussed with Annan, they said. Lebanese political sources denied these assumptions, however, saying that Annan's visit and the pull out were unconnected.
Whatever the reasons, the partial Syrian redeployment was welcomed in Lebanon. Druze leader Walid Jumblatt, who has been calling on Damascus to implement the Taif agreement which ended the Lebanese civil war and withdraw its troops from the Beqaa Valley described the withdrawal as "a first step." "It will stabilise Lebanese-Syrian relations and improve the atmosphere," he added.
Christian politicians in general welcomed the redeployment, which they considered a positive step toward the implementation of the Taif accord.
In official circles, reactions were rare. Most senior politicians preferred to let army commanders from both countries discuss the move. Lebanese Premier Rafik Hariri was the only top leader to comment. He said on Thursday that the exit of the Syrian Army from some positions in and around the capital "underscores the depth of relations between Syria and Lebanon and the tight coordination between the two armies." He added, "This also proves that the Syrian forces, which have been aiding Lebanon, have completed their mission in enabling the Lebanese military to shoulder its responsibilities."
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