UNITED NATIONS, 20 October 2004 — The UN Security Council called on Syria yesterday to withdraw its 14,000 troops from Lebanon and asked Secretary-General Kofi Annan to report on progress in an apparent effort to keep pressure on Damascus.

The United States and France drew up a policy statement read at a formal meeting to bolster a Sept. 2 resolution demanding all foreign troops leave Lebanon. It calls for reports from Annan every six months.

Syria ruled out a quick withdrawal of its troops, saying the UN resolution was illegal. Lebanon said the Council’s action interfered in its internal affairs.

The issue was controversial this week because a statement requires the consent of all 15 Council members. Algeria, the only Arab member of the Council, had hesitated until the last minute on the statement that never mentioned Syria by name.

Should Algeria have refused, the United States and France planned to adopt a resolution asking for more frequent reports from Annan that might have produced abstentions from Algeria, Pakistan and others. The Sept. 2 resolution was adopted by a minimum of nine votes and six abstentions.

“We are quite pleased that this was a unanimous strong decision of the Security Council,” said US deputy ambassador, Anne Patterson. “It is important to remember... that Syria cease interference in Lebanon’s internal affairs, disarm militias and remove Syrian troops from Lebanon.”

Lebanon’s Deputy Prime Minister Issam Fares denounced the statement, the resolution and Annan’s reports as foreign meddling themselves, “in contravention of the UN Charter.”

The Council’s statement notes “with concern” that the requirements of the Sept. 2 resolution were not met and urged full implementation of its provisions.

Syria’s UN ambassador, Fayssal Mekdad, accused the Council of double standard in ignoring Israel’s incursion into the Gaza Strip. “This shows how vile those champions are and the way they are misusing the Council for their own purposes.”