Annan renews demand that Israel lifts Lebanon blockade
Israel must lift its blockade of Lebanon, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said today in a joint news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.
However, Olmert side-stepped the issue, saying only that he expected full implementation of a UN-ceasefire deal that ended 34 days of Israel-Hezbollah fighting.
Israel has said it would not lift its blockade unless international forces, along with Lebanese troops, were deployed on the Lebanon-Syria border to prevent the flow of weapons from Syria to Hezbollah guerrillas. Lebanon has said it would deploy its own forces there, but not international troops, and Annan has backed that approach.
Annan said the lifting of the blockade was necessary to help Lebanon’s economy recover from the war.
He said the Lebanese authorities assured him they were taking measures to stop the flow of weapons, and that he believed Israel’s security concerns could be addressed.
“In the meantime, I do believe the blockade should be lifted,” Annan said.
Olmert did not respond specifically to Annan’s demand, saying only that the ceasefire deal must be implemented in its entirety.
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