News In Brief

Return of Syrian troops ruled out by Lebanon

Lebanese Prime Minister Rashid Karami has ruled out inviting a Syrian deterrent force back to Beirut to enforce a fragile cease-fire between Lebanon's warring Christian and Muslim militias.

In an interview published Sunday in an English-language magazine, Monday Morning, amid preparations for a visit by Syrian Vice-President Abdul Halim Khaddam, Mr. Karami said Lebanon would have to rely on its own army and gendarmerie to restore order.