Annan Arrives In Lebanon To Shore Up Truce
Komfie Manalo - All Headline News Foreign Correspondent Beirut, Lebanon (AHN) - United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan arrives in Lebanon on Monday as part of his Middle East swing to shore up truce between Israel and Hezbollah and discuss details on the deployment of some 15,000 international peacekeepers south of the war-ravaged country. Annan will be meeting with Lebanese officials and then travel to Israel, Palestine, Syria and Iran, which the U.N. chief believe should be part of the current dialog to forge peace in the region. According to the BBC, Annan will try to secure a prisoner exchange deal between Hezbollah and Israel. The deal is being pushed by Hezbollah chief Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah who said initial progress has been made in the area. But Israel denies any ongoing negotiations to exchange prisoners with the guerrillas. On Sunday, Nasrallah admits they did not expect such ferocious response from Israel when they captured two Israeli soldiers in a border raid on July 12 that triggered the 34-day conflict. Over 1,100 Lebanese, mostly civilians, died during the war, which also claimed the lives of 159 Israelis. But the war also left much of southern Lebanon in devastation. While in Beirut, Annan will hold talks with Prime Minister Fuad Siniora and other key political figures in Lebanon. It was not clear if he will also meet with Nasrallah who indicated his willingness for a dialog. |
