U.N. envoy Terje Roed-Larsen said Sunday the Syrian government pledged to remove all Syrian troops and intelligence agents completely from Lebanon by April 30 at the latest. Roed-Larsen made the announcement in a statement after a meeting with President Bashar Assad and Foreign Minister Farouk al-Sharaa. "Foreign Minister al-Sharaa also informed me that all Syrian troops, military assets and the intelligence apparatus will have been withdrawn fully and completely latest by 30 April, 2005," Roed-Larsen said in the statement. "This commitment implies that all Syrian security forces and equipment would have been withdrawn from Lebanon in the spirit of the Taif agreement and in full consistence with Security Council resolution 1559," he added. The withdrawal of Syrian forces from Lebanon, where they have been stationed since 1976, has been demanded by the 2004 U.N. resolution 1559.
