US encouraged by Syria-UN talks

A Lebanese Christian woman waves her national flag in Beirut's downtown as they joined the massive anti-Syria demonstration yesterday. By car, bus and boat thousands of Lebanese made their way toward the capital for another huge demonstration called by an emboldened opposition determined to end Syria's near 30-year military presence in Lebanon. PHOTO: AFP

After weeks of escalating tension, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice cautiously welcomed the "positive development." White House national security adviser Stephen Hadley said, "Initial reports are encouraging" and a sign that "Assad is beginning to hear the message."

"I think we have to take him at his word," Hadley said. But he added: "What we need to see is action and deeds, not just words."

The administration signaled some flexibility about the timing of a full Syrian withdrawal so long as it was expeditious.

Tens of thousands of people flocked to Beirut on Monday for an anti-Syrian protest a month after the killing of former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri.

Flag-waving crowds from across Lebanon gathered in Martyrs' Square in central Beirut, just meters away from Hariri's grave, to demand an international inquiry into his assassination.

The opposition rally came a day after huge crowds turned out in the south for a anti-US demonstration organised by Lebanon's Shia Muslim Hizbollah group, an ally of Syria.

Organizers of the Beirut protest say it will draw hundreds of thousands to the central Beirut square that has seen daily protests demanding a full Syrian withdrawal from Lebanon.

And Hadley said the Lebanese group Hizbollah, which Washington deems one of the world's most dangerous terrorist organisations, has "an opportunity" to participate in the Lebanese political process if it agrees to "a democratic future for Lebanon under the rule of law."

Though a UN Security Council resolution demands that Hizbollah be disarmed, Hadley deferred to the incoming Lebanese government to address the issue, signaling it was not an immediate priority.