Israel will pull out when UN, Lebanese troops in place: Annan

PARIS (AFP) - The Israeli army will pull out of southern Lebanon once 5,000 UN peacekeepers and 16,000 Lebanese troops have been deployed, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan told French radio.

"That is what I have just been discussing with the Israeli government," Annan said when asked whether 5,000 UN peacekeepers would be a sufficient force to persuade the Israeli army to withdraw from southern Lebanon.

"We agreed that with 5,000 UN troops and 16,000 Lebanese soldiers who will go down south, it would be a credible force to allow the Israelis to pull out entirely," Annan said on Europe 1 radio.

"I hope that a week to 10 days from now, we will have 5,000. At that point, the Israelis will be forced to pull out. It is very important because the situation is fragile.

more:http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060831/wl_mideast_afp/mideastconflictlebanonunisraelannan_060831084518

Israel rebuffs Annan demand on blockade

~snip~

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert indicated Israel would only allow free movement after the full implementation of a U.N.-brokered cease-fire that ended 34 days of fighting between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah guerrillas that killed 854 Lebanese and 159 Israelis.

Under the truce, 15,000 Lebanese soldiers and 15,000 international troops are to be deployed in southern Lebanon and to enforce an arms embargo on Hezbollah.

Olmert, Annan and Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni all expressed hope Wednesday that the cease-fire deal would evolve into a full-fledged peace accord, which Israeli leaders have long hoped to reach with Lebanon. But Lebanon's premier rebuffed the idea, saying his country would be the last Arab nation to make peace with the Jewish state.

The vastly different visions of future relations between the two nations reflect their conflicting priorities. Israel wants to prevent future attacks from its northern neighbor, while Lebanon is focused on rebuilding from the recent fighting and trying to maintain peace between its fractious religious groups, some of whom are sworn enemies of Israel.

more:http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060831/ap_on_re_mi_ea/mideast

They have been listening to Rove/Bush just too long.