The Lebanese army said today it had reached an agreement with Syria on redeploying the approximately 20,000 troops Damascus keeps in Lebanon neighbour to areas near the Lebanon-Syria border.
"An agreement has been reached on practical steps to redeploy units of the brother Syrian army to complete the Taif accord...and to be carried out within one week," said a statement from army.
The 1989 Taif accord, which helped end Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war, stipulated Syria should withdraw its troops to areas near the Syria-Lebanon border as a step towards putting the Lebanese government back on its feet after the war.
Syria withdrew its troops from Beirut last year in a move widely seen as a concession to Christian-led resentment over its political and military domination of its smaller neighbour.