WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush said on Tuesday authoritarian rule in the Middle East is the "last gasp of a discredited past" and he demanded Syria pull troops out of Lebanon before Lebanese parliamentary elections in May. Bush used a wide-ranging speech at the National Defense University to lend verbal support to what he called a trend toward democracy in the Middle East. "Suddenly the thaw has begun," he declared.

TEHRAN (AFP) - Iran is juggling an eagerness not to anger Lebanon, maintaining a close friendship with Syria and backing its key ally Hezbollah whom it sees as threatened by the pressure on Damascus to pull out its troops. Iranian goverment spokesman Abdollah Ramazanzadeh on Monday denounced what he said were "foreign provocations that have always caused trouble in Lebanon". But in a sign that Iran has been forced to accept a Syrian pullback from Lebanon, he added that the Islamic republic would "respect any decision taken by the majority of Lebanese even if it against our vision".

By ANNE GEARAN, AP Diplomatic Writer WASHINGTON - The United States reacted warily Monday to word that Syria will pull back its troops to the eastern part of Lebanon and demanded that it withdraw its forces "completely and immediately."  The announcement of a phased troop pullback was denounced by White House spokesman Scott McClellan as "a half measure." The presidents of Syria and Lebanon announced Monday that the Syrian troops would be pulled back to eastern Lebanon's Bekaa Valley by March 31. No timetable was announced for a full pullout.

BEIRUT (AFP) - Lebanon's bourse leader Solidere is to be listed on the booming Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) from Tuesday, the Beirut downtown real estate giant said. Lebanon's former premier Rafiq Hariri, who was assassinated on February 14, founded Solidere in 1994 to rebuild Lebanon following its 15-year civil war. "Solidere wants to attract more Arab investors, especially Kuwaitis who have a permanent interest in Solidere shares, in the Lebanese real estate sector and in particular the downtown area," the firm said in a statement. It said the KSE was attractive because of its high liquidity.