Annan hopes Israel will lift Lebanon blockade

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan says he is hopeful Israel's air, land, sea blockade of Lebanon will be lifted within next 36-48 hours

Associated Press |Published: 09.06.06 , 15:28

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Wednesday repeated his hope that Israel will lift its blockade of Lebanon within days.

“I’m still hopeful that the air, land and sea blockade will be lifted within the next 36 to 48 hours,” Annan said at a news conference in the Turkish capital following a recent tour of the Mideast.

Annan called on Hizbullah guerillas in southern Lebanon to disarm and to devote themselves to political activities, and said Lebanon must take the initiative in disarming Hizbullah.

“There has to be a national consensus among the Lebanese to disarm” Hizbullah, Annan said. “The remaining ones should disarm and devote themselves to political activities.”

Annan also said use of force “is not the only means” in dealing with Hizbullah.

“I don’t think we need to insist in Lebanon that’s the only way to do it,” he said. “If we do move in that direction, then we are going to compound the problem.”

Annan reiterated that UN peacekeepers monitoring the ceasefire between Israel and Hizbullah would help Lebanon. But “the mandate is clear: The troops are not there to disarm Hizbullah.”

Israeli withdawal crucial

He also said Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon is crucial to the deployment of the 15,000 peacekeepers the UN Wants to send to monitor the cease-fire alongside Lebanese troops.

“We will have a credible force,” Annan said. But “The withdrawal of Israeli forces is equally crucial.” Annan praised Turkey’s decision to join the expanded UN force, saying such contributions were “A sign of international solidarity.”

Turkey on Tuesday became the first Muslim nation with diplomatic ties with Israel to pledge troops for the force, despite widespread opposition to the deployment among many Turks - bumping up Europe’s key contribution to the force.

“The 7,000 troops that were offered in Brussels does not include the battalion that is going to come from Turkey. Now that Turkey has contributed, we’ll probably go to 8,000 or so from this region,” Annan said.

Turkish leaders have not specified how many troops it will send but Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said the number is unlikely to exceed 1,000.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said consultations with UN Authorities would help clarify details of the Turkish force.

“We will speedily send a delegation to New York; after that the situation will be clearer,” Erdogan told a joint news conference with Annan.

Meanwhile, Annan said a mediator he appointed for indirect talks between Israel and Hizbullah on the release of two abducted Israeli soldiers will be “in the region before the end of the week.”

Annan has not said whether a prisoner swap was on the agenda for the mediation effort, and Israel on Monday repeated its stance demanding an unconditional release of the soldiers.

Diplomacy with Iran

Israel and Hizbullah fought a 34-day war that killed hundreds of Lebanese and forced nearly a million people from their homes.

Annan also urged Iran to do everything it can to convince the international community its nuclear program is peaceful.

“If we are not able to resolve it peacefully, the most viable solution in my judgment is a negotiated settlement,” Annan said. “I have urged Iran to do whatever it can to reassure the international community that indeed its intentions are peaceful.” Talks meant to give Tehran a last chance to avoid UN Sanctions over its nuclear defiance were postponed Wednesday, with a senior Iranian envoy saying “A procedural matter” led both his country and the European Union to agree to several days’ delay.

Iran defied an Aug. 31 deadline by the UN Security Council to freeze uranium enrichment, a process the West fears could lead to nuclear weapons.