(Washington Post) David Ignatius - The Syrians officially have left Beirut, but a few secret operatives undoubtedly are still in the city. According to Reuters, 8,000 to 10,000 Syrian troops remain in the Bekaa Valley in eastern Lebanon. They won't leave without continued, unyielding international pressure. Lebanon has been too rich a prize. And if Syria can't fight its political battles in Lebanon any longer, those feuds may come home - and tear apart Syria's own fragile stability. This week's departure of the Syrian moukhabarat, as the intelligence officers are known in Arabic, was an important moment. The iron curtain of fear dropped a bit; Lebanese people began to breathe more easily. And best of all, these small but exhilarating moves toward freedom were broadcast live on al-Jazeera, so that the rest of the Arabs could watch - and dream.
2005-03-18 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive