Post by maxell on Aug 29, 2006 20:54:27 GMT -5
Annan tours devastated south Lebanon 
BEIRUT, Lebanon (CNN) -- U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan is seeing first-hand the destruction in southern Lebanon during a Middle East tour designed to cement a truce between Israel and Hezbollah.
Speaking in Beirut on Monday, Annan warned that all sides must fully implement U.N. Security Council resolution 1701 or face a possible new war.
"Without the full implementation of resolution 1701 I fear the risk is great for a renewal of hostilities," Annan told a news conference.
Annan is expected to visit the town of Naqoura on Tuesday -- home to a U.N. force in Lebanon due to be expanded from 2,000 troops to 15,000, and is expected to fly over an area that bore the brunt of Israeli air strikes and artillery shelling in the 34-day war.
Aides to Annan have said he will travel to Israel later in the day before heading to Syria and Iran later in the week.
Annan has said he will call on Israel to lift its six-week-old sea and air blockade of Lebanon as part of his drive to secure implementation of the Security Council resolution that brought about the fragile truce on August 14.
"We are working for the lifting of the siege, and I have been discussing it with Israeli authorities and other international partners and I will discuss it when I'm in Israel tomorrow," Annan said at a joint news conference with Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora.
"I would hope to see some movement on that in the not too distant future. I hope we will have some positive news."
"Inshallah," Siniora added, which is Arabic for "God willing."
During a visit to war-battered areas of southern Beirut on Monday, Annan was heckled by Hezbollah supporters. He was forced to cut short the visit and was driven away.
Video of the scene showed one protester plastering a photo of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah against the window of a vehicle in the U.N. chief's convoy.
At his news conference in Beirut, Annan urged Hezbollah to release the two Israeli soldiers whose capture in a cross-border raid by the guerrilla group on July 12 sparked the conflict.
Hezbollah wants to swap the two soldiers for Lebanese prisoners in Israeli jails through indirect negotiations.
Annan also said he would ask Syria this week to police its border with Lebanon to prevent arms smuggling to Hezbollah.
The United Nations is hoping to bolster peace in southern Lebanon through the deployment of the planned 15,000-strong force and 15,000 Lebanese troops who are being dispatched.
from cnn.com
BEIRUT, Lebanon (CNN) -- U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan is seeing first-hand the destruction in southern Lebanon during a Middle East tour designed to cement a truce between Israel and Hezbollah.
Speaking in Beirut on Monday, Annan warned that all sides must fully implement U.N. Security Council resolution 1701 or face a possible new war.
"Without the full implementation of resolution 1701 I fear the risk is great for a renewal of hostilities," Annan told a news conference.
Annan is expected to visit the town of Naqoura on Tuesday -- home to a U.N. force in Lebanon due to be expanded from 2,000 troops to 15,000, and is expected to fly over an area that bore the brunt of Israeli air strikes and artillery shelling in the 34-day war.
Aides to Annan have said he will travel to Israel later in the day before heading to Syria and Iran later in the week.
Annan has said he will call on Israel to lift its six-week-old sea and air blockade of Lebanon as part of his drive to secure implementation of the Security Council resolution that brought about the fragile truce on August 14.
"We are working for the lifting of the siege, and I have been discussing it with Israeli authorities and other international partners and I will discuss it when I'm in Israel tomorrow," Annan said at a joint news conference with Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora.
"I would hope to see some movement on that in the not too distant future. I hope we will have some positive news."
"Inshallah," Siniora added, which is Arabic for "God willing."
During a visit to war-battered areas of southern Beirut on Monday, Annan was heckled by Hezbollah supporters. He was forced to cut short the visit and was driven away.
Video of the scene showed one protester plastering a photo of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah against the window of a vehicle in the U.N. chief's convoy.
At his news conference in Beirut, Annan urged Hezbollah to release the two Israeli soldiers whose capture in a cross-border raid by the guerrilla group on July 12 sparked the conflict.
Hezbollah wants to swap the two soldiers for Lebanese prisoners in Israeli jails through indirect negotiations.
Annan also said he would ask Syria this week to police its border with Lebanon to prevent arms smuggling to Hezbollah.
The United Nations is hoping to bolster peace in southern Lebanon through the deployment of the planned 15,000-strong force and 15,000 Lebanese troops who are being dispatched.
from cnn.com
