US hints at flexibility on Syria troop withdrawal

WASHINGTON - The White House vowed today not to stand by and let Syria take "half measures" in Lebanon, but said a timetable for its withdrawal could be "worked out" if President Bashar al-Assad commits to removing all Syrian troops and secret services.

Though President George W. Bush has demanded Syria's complete and immediate withdrawal from Lebanon, White House counsellor Dan Bartlett said: "If he (Assad) was clear on living up to those demands, those things could be worked out when we say 'immediate'."

US officials and diplomats said some flexibility from Washington was needed to ensure a Syrian withdrawal does not create a power vacuum that results in instability.

"It shouldn't come too slowly and it shouldn't come too quickly. It has to just be at the right time in order to keep the country stable," said Adel al-Jubeir, foreign affairs adviser to Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, which last week joined the international call for Syrian troops to leave.

Bartlett, who appeared on CNN's "Late Edition" and "Fox News Sunday," said in addition to the complete troop withdrawal, Assad must commit to the full removal of Syrian secret services and intelligence officials "that really keep the clamp of fear on the Lebanese people."

Bartlett said Assad failed to address the secret service issue.

While signalling a willingness to discuss the timing of Syria's withdrawal, Bartlett and other administration officials made clear it should be completed before elections in Lebanon expected in May.

"If we're going to have a free and fair election this spring, it's hard to believe that that can take place with the presence of Syrian troops and secret services officials," Bartlett said.

The United States and its allies are preparing contingency plans -- both to help stabilize Lebanon if Syria pulls out and to punish Syria if it refuses to do so.

US officials said the administration was exploring sending international observers in support of the Lebanese elections. The Saudi adviser, al-Jubeir, said on CNN there was talk of sending Nato troops and increasing UN forces in Lebanon to help keep the peace.

If Assad balks at US demands, Bush is preparing unilateral sanctions, including freezing Syrian assets and further isolating its banking system, officials said.

The United States is also discussing "next steps" with European allies, from seeking a tougher UN Security Council resolution to threatening international sanctions.

"There are a number of options, but the focus remains on the goal: seeing Syrian troops and security services leave Lebanon," a senior Bush administration official said.

Under intense global pressure, Assad announced plans on Saturday for a complete pullout of troops from Lebanon but said Damascus would still play a role in its neighbour's affairs.

The Syrians said on Sunday the withdrawal would begin on Monday but that troops would eventually withdraw to the Syrian side of the border with Lebanon only "as soon as possible logistically. "

Bartlett derided Assad's "generalities and half measures," saying they run counter to a US- and French-backed UN Security Council resolution.

"The international community is not going to stand by and let Assad continue to have these kind of half measures but to live up to his international demands," Bartlett said.

- REUTERS