WASHINGTON, March 8 (UPI) -- The United States said Tuesday it has remained in touch with Syria on the issue of its withdrawal from Lebanon.
"We have an Embassy in Damascus, we have a Chargé there who does keep in touch with the Syrian Government and we make this (the U.S.) view clear to them," State Department spokesman Richard Boucher told a briefing in Washington.
He said the joint communiqué issued by the Syrian and Lebanese presidents Monday doesn't fulfill the requirements of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1559, asking for a total Syrian withdrawal from Lebanon.
This view, he said, has been expressed by many members of the international community, including members of the Security Council.
Boucher said there was no reason for Syria to further delay its withdrawal. "We think they ought to pull out immediately."
He said the presence of Syrian troops has not created stability in Lebanon and the withdrawal is a necessary condition for restoring stability to Lebanon.
