Annan tours razed south Lebanon
2006-08-29 12:08
Naqura - UN chief Kofi Annan visited war-battered south Lebanon on Tuesday to see the destruction caused by the month-long conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, on the second day of a regional tour to underpin a fragile truce.
He flew in by helicopter to the UN peacekeeping base in the Mediterranean port of Naqura and is due to meet UN commanders and later take a chopper ride along the volatile border with Israel, a UN spokesperson said.
Naqura is the main arrival point for UN peacekeepers whose force is set to be raised to 15 000 from around 2 000 under a UN resolution that brought an end to Israel's 34-day offensive against Hezbollah fighters.
From Lebanon, the UN secretary general is expected to travel to Israel to discuss its crippling blockade of Lebanon and a potential prisoner swap.
Blockade, soldier release
Starting his tour in Beirut on Monday, Annan urged an end to the blockade and called on the Shi'ite movement Hezbollah to free two Israeli soldiers whose capture in July had sparked Israel's massive assault on Lebanon.
"We are working for the lifting of the siege, I am discussing it with the Israeli authorities tomorrow, I hope there will be some movements on this in the not-too-distant future," Annan said.
Annan also called for the full implementation of UN security council resolution 1701 which laid down the terms of the August 14 ceasefire, calling for an Israeli pullout from southern Lebanon and a deployment of the Lebanese army and reinforced UN peacekeepers.
Wreath for killed UNIFIL members
During his trip in the south, Annan is also due to lay a wreath at a memorial for five UNIFIL members killed in Israeli raids.
Much of southern Lebanon lies in ruins after Israel's assault on Hezbollah that left at least 1 287 people dead in Lebanon, nearly all of them civilians, as well as 160 Israelis, mostly soldiers.
During Annan's tour he is also expected to visit the Palestinian territories, Jordan and Syria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. He is due in Iran on Saturday for talks on Tehran's standoff with the West over its disputed nuclear programme.
- AFP