UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said on Thursday that he will soon send his envoy Terje Roed-Larsen back to the Middle East to press Syria on its troops withdrawal from Lebanon.

"I will be sending back Terje Larsen to the region to discuss the issue of withdrawal with the two governments concerned," Annantold reporters upon his arrival at the UN headquarters in New York.

He said Syrians had indicated that they are planning to withdraw its around 14,000 troops from Lebanon, yet the details oftheir plan remain unclear.

Annan is going to present a second report to the UN Security Council in April on the implementation of a resolution calling on Syrian troops to leave Lebanon.

"Will it be completed by then? Will it be complete withdrawal (or) partial withdrawal? We will seen when I submit my report in April, but we are engaging them," he said.

Asked whether he was concerned that a hasty Syrian withdrawal might create a political vacuum, Annan replied: "I think this is something that everyone is conscious of and it will have to be managed very carefully."

"I think in our discussions and in our attempt to see implementation of the resolution we will bear that in mind."

The resolution, adopted by the Security Council last September,calls for the withdrawal of all foreign forces from Lebanon, disbanding all militias and extending government control over the whole country. Syrian troops have been in Lebanon since the country's 1975-1990 civil war.

Roed-Larsen's new visit will take place against the backdrop ofmounting international pressure for Syrian troops' departure afterthe murder of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.