The United States on Tuesday responded cautiously to a promise by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to withdraw its troops from Lebanon.

"That has not happened, and that is what needs to happen as soon as possible. So we'll judge it by the facts," State Department spokesman Richard Boucher told a regular news briefing.

The UN Resolution 1559 adopted last year called for all foreign forces to quit Lebanon, Boucher said.

Arab League Secretary General Amr Mussa quoted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad as saying on Monday that Syria is willing to withdraw from neighboring Lebanon.

"The withdrawal is part of the Syrian policy. We will see steps soon," Moussa told reporters after meeting with Bashar and Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk al-Shara.

The United States has been pressing Syria to pull out roughly 14,000 troops in Lebanon. It also urges Damascus to end its support for insurgents in neighboring Iraq as well as Islamic militants seeking to wreck the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.

Following assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiqal-Hariri on Feb. 14, Washington recalled its ambassador to Damascus for urgent consultations.

The US, which blames the Syrians for indirect involvement, is demanding for a full and transparent investigation of the murder of Hariri.

David Satterfield, deputy assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs, is expected to travel to Lebanon this week.

"Deputy Assistant Secretary Satterfield is looking at a trip out there to Lebanon to follow up on the discussions that we've had before," Boucher said.

Source: Xinhua