Syrian President Bashar al-Assad says he expects to withdraw his troops from Lebanon in a matter of months.

In a Time magazine interview published Tuesday, Mr. Assad did not give a timetable for pulling out the 14,000 Syrian troops, but said it should be "very soon."

Meanwhile, in Beirut, thousands of protesters vowed to keep up demonstrations until Syria gets its troops out of Lebanon.  Earlier this week, Lebanon's pro-Syrian government resigned as the protesters packed Beirut streets over the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.  The killing has increased pressure on Syria to end its long involvement in its neighbor's affairs.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, in London for a Palestinian conference, issued a joint statement with French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier Tuesday, calling for an immediate Syrian withdrawal from Lebanon.