Syria says it will redeploy its troops in Lebanon, and not withdraw them as had been reported earlier.
The announcement comes after U.S. President George W. Bush reiterated his demand that Syria leave Lebanon in a speech delivered in Brussels. He called for an end to the Syrian occupation of Lebanon.
In Beirut, thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in protest of the Syrian presence, demanding that its forces be removed. The rally was organized by opposition leaders who blame Syria for the murder last week of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Al-Hariri.
Al-Hariri had served as prime minister with Syrian backing for a decade, but quit last fall in disagreement over Syrian control.
U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan announced on Monday that he will send a team to Lebanon to investigate Al-Hariri’s killing.