Waving national flags and beating drums, demonstrators comingfrom around the country flooded the Mazzeh street in the wealthyMazzeh district, chanting "with our souls and blood we sacrificeourselves for Assad."

   Holding up pictures of their young leader, his late fatherformer President Hafez al-Assad and head of the Lebanese Hezbollahgroup Hassan Nasrallah, demonstrators pledged to stand by Lebanonand denounced foreign pressures on Syria.

   "Syria will not abandon its responsibility toward Lebanon," readone banner. "Our mission is to protect Syria and support itsnational and pan-Arab position," read another.

   "When we are united, the people and the state, we don't fearanything," wrote a large placard, citing Assad's Saturday speechbefore the parliament.

   Crowds then marched to the presidential palace, where Assadwaved at the crowds from a balcony.

   The rally came two days after Assad signed a gradual pulloutagreement with his Lebanese counterpart Emile Lahoud in Damascus.   On Tuesday, a huge pro-Syria demonstration called by Hezbollahwas staged in Beirut, the first of its kind against the backdrop ofnearly daily anti-Syria protests organized by Lebanese oppositiongroups.

   Syria has been under mounting international pressure to withdrawits 14,000 troops and intelligence services from Lebanon in linewith UN Resolution 1559, particularly after the assassination offormer Lebanese prime minister Rafik al-Hariri on Feb. 14. 

  US President George W. Bush, the leading opponent to Syria'spresence in Lebanon, repeated his hardline stance in a speechTuesday, urging a full and immediate withdrawal of Syrian forces.   The UN resolution as well as Bush became targets of the rallystrewn with banners carrying satirizing cartoons.

   "Bush, leave us alone. We like our democracy," said one banner.

   Meanwhile, demonstrators gathering near the US embassy inDamascus burned the Stars and the Stripes flags and riot policewere forced to set up barriers, said witnesses.

   According to the official SANA news agency, Syrian citizens inthe Israel-occupied Golan Heights will also stage a pro-Assad sit-in Wednesday evening in the city of Majdal Shams.

   SANA said the sit-in aims at disclosing the US and westerndouble-standard policy, which ignored all calls to compel Israel toimplement the UN Resolutions 242 and 338 calling for a totalwithdrawal from the Golan and other occupied Arab lands.  Enditem