ARAB-AFFAIRS - Mar. 23 - Calls For Syrian Troops' Pullout.

Critics of Syria's dominant role in Lebanon call on Damascus to begin withdrawing its army from the country, fearing a ME peace settlement could strengthen Syria's position in Lebanon. The calls come ahead of a Mar. 27 meeting in Geneva between Pres. Clinton and Syrian Pres. Assad that could lead to the resumption of stalled Syrian-Israeli peace negotiations. (A peace accord between Syria and Israel likely would lead to a deal between Israel and Lebanon, where Syria dominates with 30,000 troops.) Critics of Syrian policy fear Damascus could end up with even more clout in Lebanon because its troops could be used to help the Lebanese government implement any peace agreement. In a front-page commentary, the leading Beirut daily 'An Nahar' calls on Syria to begin withdrawing its troops from Beirut and coastal parts of Lebanon in line with a peace agreement that ended the 1975-90 civil war. Gebran Tueni, 'An Nahar' managing director, says many Lebanese, mainly Christians, rejected the Syrian control over their country. Tueni says in an open letter to Col. Bashar Assad, son of the Syrian president: "The demands of the Lebanese for the redeployment [of Syrian forces] do not make them traitors or enemies. They are suppressed citizens waiting for answers that will dispel justified fears". (Bashar Assad also is the man in charge of policy on Lebanon. Syrian troops entered Lebanon in 1976, apparently as peacekeepers to put a stop to civil war. The Lebanese government, split between Christians and Muslims, has supported Syrian military presence and involvement as a stabilising factor during the country's recovery from the war.)