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France Says Its Troops to Arrive in Lebanon in Three Weeks
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?r=279&ctl=13AA52B:A6F02AD83191E160717B28CED386FEF69574F7DCC14957C0 UN
Secretary-General Kofi Annan says France will lead international force
until February 2007





A United Nations peacekeeper from France directs a truck as it
disembarks from the French vessel Foudre at Beirut's seaportFrance
says that all of its 2,000 troops destined for Lebanon will be in that
country within three weeks.

French Defense Minister Michele Aliot-Marie also told The Wall Street
Journal that France has received an important clarification on the
troops ability to use force in their peacekeeping mission.

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said on Friday that France
will lead the international force until February 2007. Italy will then
take over.

Italy says its troops could be deployed as early as Tuesday.

European nations have pledged nearly 7,000 troops for the expanded
U.N. peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon.

Mr. Annan is due to visit the Middle East early next week to discuss
outstanding issues such as how Lebanon's border with Syria will be
patrolled and Hezbollah disarmed.

In other news, Hezbollah says it was surprised by Israel's response to
its capture of two Israeli soldiers in July

Naim Qassem, the group's deputy leader, said the group expected Israel
to bomb Lebanon for a few days only.

The U.N. resolution that passed on August 11 helped end the month-long
fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. It calls for up to 15,000
troops, and an equal number of Lebanese soldiers, to patrol the
Israeli-Lebanese border. The troops also will help stop weapons from
being smuggled to Hezbollah over the border with Syria.



On Friday, Kofi Annan praised European officials for providing the
"backbone" of the newly expanded U.N. force, known as U.N. Interim
Force in Lebanon.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.

 


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