MASNAA, Lebanon -Syria's last soldier in Lebanon walked across the border Tuesday, welcomed home with cheers and flowers after a modest farewell from the Lebanese, a quiet end to a once indomitable 29-year military presence that was the key to Damascus' control of its neighbor.
With the Syrians gone, Lebanese now look ahead to an election that should prove freer of Syrian influence but still runs the risk of sinking into violence. Lebanon's anti-Syrian opposition is hoping to defeat Damascus' political allies at the ballot box.
The withdrawal would have been unthinkable only a few months ago. But amid series of strategic blunders by Syrian President Bashar Assad, Damascus came under relentless international pressure that intensified after the Feb. 14 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. The United States in particular is keeping up demands for an end to Syria's influence.
After weeks of Syrians vacating their posts -with celebrations by Lebanese elated to see them go -Lebanon's pro-Syrian leadership was eager to give a dignified finish to the pullout.
Top military brass from both sides exchanged medals at an hourlong ceremony at an air base near their shared border, and they emphasized the nations' close ties will continue.
A Syrian commander told Lebanese troops at the ceremony: Brothers in arms
'til we meet again. The Lebanese replied, 'Til we meet again -using the Arabic phrase ila liqaa a breezier goodbye than the more formal farewell.
Brothers in arms thank you for your sacrifices
a Lebanese commander then told the Syrians.
Lebanese army commander Michel Suleiman pledged continued cooperation and credited the Syrian army with ending the 1975-90 civil war and rebuilding Lebanese forces. Together we shall always remain brothers in arms in the face of the Israeli enemy
Suleiman said.
The two dozen or so Lebanese who stood at the border were less charitable as they watched the last 250 Syrians leave -remnants of a one-time mighty force of 40,000 that ran the country virtually unchallenged since arriving as peacekeepers in 1976.
I feel like someone who was suffocated and jailed and has finally emerged from jail
said Shaaban al-Ajami, mayor of the Lebanese border village of Majdal Anjar.
We don't want to say goodbye. We are happy to see them leave
said Hussein Mansour, 27, who stood at the border holding the lone Lebanese flag.
Opposition leader Walid Jumblatt was delighted.
The Syrian tutelage is over
Jumblatt said. If they had implemented Taif before we wouldn't have seen this insulting
humiliating scene for the Arab Syrian army
he told LBC television, referring to a 1989 deal that called for Syria's gradual withdrawal but was never implemented.
State Department spokesman Adam Ereli called the withdrawal an important first step toward Syria's compliance with a U.N. Security Council resolution.
But he said there were lingering concerns Syria had not withdrawn all its intelligence agents, adding that the Bush administration was looking forward to the report by a U.N. team sent to verify the withdrawal.
Eager to ease the international pressure, Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk al-Sharaa quickly informed U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan in a letter that his country had complied with U.N. demands.
A report by Annan released Tuesday noted progress but said Damascus hasn't met several other provisions of Security Council resolution 1559. Annan said there had been no movement in other areas, including the requirement that militias be disarmed -a clear reference to the Syrian-and Iranian-backed guerrilla group Hezbollah.
Hezbollah remains a potent military force and has refused to lay down its weapons. Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah on Monday repeated the stance -which the Lebanese government has supported -that Hezbollah is not a militia.
