MASNAA, Lebanon - The difference between Syria's entry and exit was stark.

Twenty-nine years ago, its tanks and troops stormed into Lebanon, fighting in the mountains and descending on Beirut to restore order to a city ravaged by civil war. On April 26, Syria's last soldier quietly walked home across the border, ending the military domination.

Lebanon is at relative peace on April 26. Many of the country's one-time warring factions united in the wake of the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri on February 14 - and the world, which once tolerated Syria's intervention, told Damascus in one voice to get out.

The Syrian departure on April 26 was largely quiet, except for a modest military ceremony where military brass from both sides exchanged medals at an air base near the border.

A Syrian commander told Lebanese troops at the ceremony: "Brothers in arms, 'til we meet again." The Lebanese replied, "'Til we meet again" - using the Arabic phrase "ila liqaa," a breezier goodbye than the more formal "farewell."

"Brothers in arms, thank you for your sacrifices," a Lebanese commander then told the Syrians.

Lebanese army commander Michel Suleiman pledged continued co-operation and credited the Syrian army with ending the 1975-90 civil war and rebuilding Lebanese forces. "Together we shall always remain brothers in arms in the face of the Israeli enemy," Suleiman said.

The two dozen or so Lebanese who stood at the border were less charitable as they watched the last 250 Syrians leave - the remnants of a one-time mighty force of 40,000 that ran the country virtually unchallenged since entering in 1976 as peacekeepers.

"I feel like someone who was suffocated and jailed and has finally emerged from jail," said Shaaban al-Ajami, mayor of the Lebanese border village of Majdal Anjar.

"We don't want to say goodbye. We are happy to see them leave," said Hussein Mansour, 27, who stood at the border holding the lone Lebanese flag.

With the Syrians gone, Lebanese now look ahead to an election that should prove freer of Syrian influence but still runs the risk of sinking into violence. The anti-Syrian opposition is hoping to defeat Damascus' political allies at the ballot box.

Syria still wields influence here. Lebanese President Emile Lahoud is a staunch Syrian ally, Prime Minister Najib Mikati is a close friend of Syrian President Bashar Assad and the current parliament is dominated by pro-Syrians.

While the withdrawal relieves some of the pressure on Syria, Damascus still faces unrelenting US demands to end its influence in Lebanon - and UN calls for the disarming of its ally, the Hezbollah guerrilla group.

State Department spokesman Adam Ereli said the withdrawal was an important first step toward Syria's compliance with a UN Security Council resolution. But he said there were "lingering concerns" that Syria had not withdrawn all its intelligence agents, adding the Bush administration was looking forward to the report by a UN team sent to verify the withdrawal.

Eager to ease the international pressure, Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk al-Sharaa quickly informed UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan in a letter that his country had complied with UN demands.

A report by Annan released on April 26 noted progress but said Damascus hasn't met several other provisions of UN Security Council resolution 1559. Annan said there had been no movement in other areas, including the requirement that militias be disarmed - a clear reference to the Syrian- and Iranian-backed Hezbollah.

Hezbollah remains a potent military force and has refused to lay down its weapons. Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah on April 25 repeated the stance - which the Lebanese Government has supported - that Hezbollah "is not a militia. It is a resistance (movement)" so the UN resolution does not apply.

Syrian intelligence chief Rustom Ghazale, the general who was considered the de facto leader of Lebanon, crossed into Syria along with dozens of armed plainclothes agents in speeding cars. A few minutes later, the remaining 250 Syrian soldiers waved and flashed victory signs as they crossed the border in buses, trucks and other vehicles.

"Of course, we are happy to return to Syria," said a helmeted Syrian soldier, one of four on guard duty who said they were the last to remain in Lebanon after the bulk of the troops had left.

"That's all I have to say," the soldier said, waving his AK-47 assault rifle before he walked across the border and hopped into a pickup truck to join the three others for the trip home.

(Agencies via Xinhua)