Hundreds of thousands of peoplein central and southern Syria staged demonstrations on Sunday to express support for President Bashar al-Assad over a two-stage pullout from Lebanon, the official SANA agency reported.

Demonstrators in Hama and Suwayda took to streets to support "Assad's policies and his reasonable positions concerning regional and international developments," SANA said.

"With our souls and blood we sacrifice ourselves for Assad,"chanted the demonstrators.

The Syrians have held several massive pro-Assad rallies in majorcities across Syria, including the capital of Damascus, since Assaddeclared a gradual pullout plan on March 5.

Syria has been under mounting international pressures to withdraw all its troops and intelligence personnel in line with UN Security Council resolution 1559, since the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri on Feb. 14.

The US-France backed resolution adopted last September demanded for a full withdrawal of all foreign troops from Lebanon.

Syria completed on Thursday the first stage of withdrawal, withsome 4,000 troops having returned home and the rest of its troopsre deployed to east Lebanon's Bekaa Valley.

The Syrian-Lebanese military committee will meet in early Aprilto decide the final pullout timetable.