BEIJING, Mar. 30 -- Syria's foreign minister has said for the first time Damascus will pull all its troops out of Lebanon before the Lebanese elections.

    Faruq al-Shara reportedly made the pledge in a letter to United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan.

    The letter said that Syria had already cut back its troops to 10,000 from 40,000.

    It said there would be a "full withdrawal of these troops" before the May election.

    Pressure for Syria to withdraw from Lebanon intensified last month after the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, which many blamed on Damascus.

(Source: CRIENGLISH.com)