Syrian President Bashar al-Assad will address his parliament shortly, and is expected to announce a partial redeployment of Syrian troops in Lebanon.
Mr. Assad is likely to say he is pulling back troops from areas in and around the Lebanese capital to the Syrian border, in accordance with the 1989 accord that ended the Lebanese civil war. Under that treaty, Lebanon and Syria would then negotiate a withdrawal.
In the wake of last month's assassination of former Lebanese premier Rafik Hariri, Syria has been under renewed international pressure to pull its 14-thousand troops out of Lebanon.
In Damascus, security was tightened around the parliament in anticipation of the president's speech. Hundreds of Syrians gathered outside the building, chanting messages of support for their embattled president.
Meanwhile, in central Beirut, hundreds of protesters kept up their campaign demanding a Syrian pullout.
Some information for this report provided by AP, AFP.