Beirut won't let UNIFIL deploy

By Daniel Sobelman and Aluf Benn, Ha'aretz Correspondents and Agencies, 20.6.00

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan visited Beirut yesterday for talks with Lebanese President Emile Lahoud and Prime Minister Salim Hoss. The officials told Annan that in their opinion, Israel's withdrawal from South Lebanon is not complete.

Hoss informed Annan that Lebanon wants the UN to force Israel to pull back from a number of areas along the international border which Israel continues to occupy. "The UN peacekeeping force must be responsible for the immediate end to the Israeli violation of the international border," said Hoss. A presidential statement issued after the talks with Annan did say that Lebanon would await results of a UN team inspecting the frontier before deciding whether to accept the UN's verification of Israel's May 24 troop pullout from South Lebanon as complete.

Annan said that he realized that both Israel and Lebanon have reservations about the withdrawal line being delineated by the UN's demarcation force, but that both sides must honor that line. Annan said the UN Security Council was ready to investigate any report of border violations submitted by the Lebanese government. "Any crossing of that line is a violation," Annan said. "I'm confident that the Security Council will be ready to take firm action if that was so justified."

Annan received a rather frosty reception upon arrival in Beirut since Lebanon remains dissatisfied with the Security Council's verification of the Israeli withdrawal. The Lebanese government also believes that Annan's special envoy to the area, Terje Roed-Larsen, is taking a pro-Israel position, ignoring the Lebanese claims.

Beirut threatened yesterday to block the deployment of UN peacekeepers in the area. Lahoud told Annan that UN peacekeepers could not deploy toward the Israeli-Lebanese border until Lebanon had agreed that the Israeli occupation was over. Annan nonetheless announced yesterday that 1,000 extra troops would join UN peacekeeping forces in July and move into areas of south Lebanon vacated by Israel. Annan wants to see the force doubled.

Annan is due to arrive in Jerusalem tomorrow to meet with Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Foreign Minister David Levy. The Israelis are expected to thank Annan for the UN's successful cooperation with Israel over the withdrawal, and to talk about Israel turning over a new leaf with the international organization.