Arab League hails Syria's Lebanon pullout

CAIRO, April 26 (UPI) -- Arab League Secretary General Amr Mousa welcomed Syria's complete military and intelligence withdrawal Tuesday from Lebanon.

Mousa said the withdrawal ending 29 years of Syrian presence is an important step towards fully implementing the 1989 Taif peace accord that ended the 1975-1990 civil strife in Lebanon.

"This step should be exploited in order to maintain good and strong relations between the two countries to serve their mutual interests," Mousa said.

He hailed the role played by Syria in helping end the Lebanese strife and said the withdrawal is an important step for implementing U.N. Security Council resolution 1559.