Syria's announcement Saturday that it would gradually pull out its troops from Lebanon was applauded by world leaders who have been pushing for the withdrawal after the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq al-Hariri.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad told the parliament Saturday that Syrian troops would be initially pulled back to the Bekaa valley in eastern Lebanon and then to the Syrian-Lebanese border area. But he stopped short of setting a clear timetable.

Through the move, Syria would fulfill its commitment to the Taif Accord and implement the UN Security Council Resolution 1559,which demands foreign troops be withdrawn from Lebanon, the president said.

Elaborating on Assad's announcement, Syrian cabinet minister Buthaina Shaaban said Syrian troops would withdraw to the Syrian side of the border.

"The Syrian army wants to pull out quickly ...as soon as possible logistically," Shaaban said in an interview with Lebanon's LBC television. "The political decision has been taken for a complete withdrawal."

According to Shaaban, a meeting between the two countries' leaders on Monday would agree on the details of the pledged withdrawal, including the timing.

Syrian troops have been in Lebanon since intervening in its civil war in the 1970s and it currently has about 14,000 troops there.

Syria has come under mounting Lebanese, Arab and international pressure to withdraw troops from Lebanon since the assassination of Hariri last month.

Lebanese greeted Assad's announcement with screams of delight in Beirut, while European leaders described it as a "positive start." The United States, which was turning up the heat against Damascus, voiced dissatisfaction with Damascus' pledge.

Lebanese President Emile Lahoud hailed Assad's announcement, considering it a sign of deep historical and brotherly relationship between the two countries. He said Lebanon will not forget the sacrifice made by Syria and its army to prevent secession of Lebanon.

Lebanese opposition, which has staged daily protests in Beirut and forced the pro-Syrian government to resign, welcomed the announcement as a "positive start," but insisted on a definite pullout timetable.

A European Union spokesman said "the announcement is a positive development if it is a step towards a full withdrawal." But he added "the withdrawal should take place as speedily and smoothly as possible."

Washington, the co-sponsor of the UN resolution 1559 alongside France, voiced dissatisfaction with Assad's announcement.

"The international community has made clear that Syria must withdraw completely and immediately all its military forces and intelligence services from Lebanon in accordance with UNSCR 1559,"said the US State Department in a statement.

France said it had taken note of Assad's announcement to apply the resolution. "We are therefore expecting the complete withdrawal of its troops and services from Lebanon as soon as possible," the Foreign Ministry said.

Britain said it is happy to hear the news of Syria's planned withdrawal. "This needs to happen as quickly as possible. As I called for yesterday we expect to see rapid progress to the withdrawal of Syrian troops from the whole of Lebanon in line with UNSCR 1559," said British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw.

The Russian Foreign Ministry expressed satisfaction with Damascus' decision and considered it as "a step leading to the stabilization of a political atmosphere in the region."

In Ottawa, Canadian Foreign Minister Pierre Pettigrew echoed Washington's comments, saying Syria's announcement "falls short ofSyria's obligations and the requirements of the people of Lebanon and the international community."

In Cairo, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit hailed Assad's promise of withdrawal, but cautioned that any Syrian pullout from Lebanon needed to be handled carefully.

"It's important to treat the situation in Lebanon with extreme sensitivity and caution to prevent any explosion of the situation, while at the same time working calmly to achieve a Syrian withdrawal that preserves the security and stability of fraternal Lebanon," he said.

Saudi Arabia, another Arab powerhouse, lauded Syria's announcement. Qatar and Bahrain also applauded Assad's move as a step toward withdrawal.

Israel joined Washington in expressing disappointment. Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Shimon Peres said Assad's remarks "constituted an evasion and not a response to the Security Council decisions regarding the need for Syria to withdraw fully its forces from Lebanon."

The absence of uniform standards of the conditions in which the military of one country, or even a band of countries, can forcibly enter another, and the lack of commitment of the international community to adhere to a common code, is the genesis of this problem. Individuals such as Assad and caucases such as the Security Council may always abrogate the robes of justice to find rationale for their hidden agendas, but only an unwavering adherence to democratic principles can bring stability through the Vox Populi that we have recently seen in France and Holland.