A Closer Look at Lebanon

I do not know much about Lebanon beyond war, bombs, and terrorists, so I will refrain from editorializing, so as to not further any unrepresentative stereotypes. Here are several articles from various news sources and links to country profiles for Lebanon and Syria.


Syria Offers Gradual Pullback of Its Troops From Lebanon
By Hassan M. Fattah and David E. Sanger
The New York Times

Here's the highlights:

"In his speech, the Syrian president [Bashar al-Assad] gave no timetable, and left several loopholes for the withdrawal. He said all troops would withdraw to the Bekaa Valley in eastern Lebanon and eventually to areas near the Syrian border.

"A Syrian pullout from Lebanon does not mean that Syria will vanish from Lebanon," Mr. Assad said. "We hope to have stronger relations with Lebanon in the future."

"If you cannot seal your borders with Mexico," he quipped, directing his question to the Bush administration, "how can you demand the same of us?"

A senior administration official noted on Friday that the protesters in recent weeks seemed to be taking their inspiration from the protests in Ukraine. "It's remarkable," the official said, "because these are countries with absolutely nothing in common. Nothing at all. And yet the images of one group of people shaking off a neighbor with too much influence" a reference to Russia "was enough to inspire them that the time has come."

Here's the link:
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/06/international/middleeast/06syria.html?pagewanted=2&ei=5088&en=8c4e84a92f84857b&ex=1267851600&partner=rssnyt


Lebanon's rocky road from Damascus
By Jon Leyne
BBC News

"You see, what is going on in Lebanon is not just a re-run of the peaceful revolutions in Ukraine or Georgia. This is a lot more dangerous, and people in Syria and Lebanon are a lot more scared."

Here's the link:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/4316417.stm


Pro-Syrian demonstrations in Lebanon
Reuters
Aljazeera
Here's the link:
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/F1DE8598-5B3D-42A0-AB66-C631BCED2660.htm


Lebanese Country Profile from BBC News:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/country_profiles/791071.stm

Lebanese Media Source:
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/home2.asp

Syrian Country Profile from BBC News:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/country_profiles/801669.stm

Syrian Media Source:
http://www.teshreen.com/syriatimes/