Syria has promised to remove one-third of its troops from Lebanon by the end of the month as the first stage of an operation that would end its 29-year military presence there, the Washington Posthas reported.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad also promised to move the remaining forces to the eastern Bekaa Valley and shut down its intelligence headquarters in Beirut by the end of the month, the Post said on Sunday, citing anonymous US and UN sources.
A joint Lebanese-Syrian military commission will meet on April 7 to determine the date of the final withdrawal of all forces, the Post said, citing Western sources familiar with the negotiations.
Syria has been under intense international pressure to withdraw its troops from Lebanon. Assad met on Saturday with a UN envoy, who said after the meeting that the Syrian leader had pledged to withdraw all his troops and intelligence agents and was providing timetable details.
US officials welcomed the move but expressed deep concern about Syria's failure to provide a final pullout date, the Post said. The United States will press for "a complete and prompt withdrawal," a senior administration official who did not want to be named told the Post.
The United States and France co-sponsored a UN resolution last fall calling for Syria to pull out from its smaller neighbour.
By Friday, all Syrian troops had left northern Lebanon. More troops headed home or moved nearer the border overnight.