U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan says he hopes his special envoy will be able to get the Syrian and Lebanese presidents to commit to a timetable for the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon.
Mr. Annan says envoy Terje Roed-Larsen will meet over the next few days with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Lebanese President Emile Lahoud to discuss the matter. The U.N. resolution calling on foreign troops to leave Lebanon does not specify a timeframe. But President Bush says Syria must get its 14,000 troops and intelligence personnel out by Lebanon's May elections.
Meanwhile, Lebanese lawmakers chose pro-Syrian politician Omar Karami to form a new government, less than two weeks after he resigned as prime minister following massive opposition protests. Mr. Lahoud is expected to name Mr. Karami as prime minister on Thursday. Opposition lawmakers did not present a candidate for the post, but instead submitted a list of reform demands.