08 March 2005	Tuesday	26 Muharram 1426

BEIRUT, March 7: More than 150,000 Lebanese rallied on Monday in central Beirut to cries of 'Syria out', three weeks after ex-premier Rafik Hariri's murder, as Syria prepared for a troop pullback under international pressure.

A sea of red-and-white Lebanese flags filled Martyrs' Square for the opposition rally as Syria's president pledged to complete a long-promised pullback to the eastern Bekaa Valley by the end of this month.

The pullback, announced by Syrian President Bashar al Assad and Lebanese counterpart Emile Lahoud at a Damascus summit, however, fell short of the immediate and full withdrawal demanded by UN Security Council Resolution 1559.

No exact time has been set for the official start of the pullback toward eastern Lebanon, but on the ground Syrian forces were seen packing and leaving some mountain positions near Beirut.

After the Damascus announcement, White House spokesman Scott McClellan said "we need to see by action, not words ... and Syria needs to withdraw completely and immediately from Lebanon territory". Opposition MP Fares Said said "we welcome any pullback, but we want to see, on the ground, a full withdrawal of Syrian soldiers and intelligence services". -AFP