Gee_Queen
14-08-06, 20:45
The commander of the United Nations peacekeepers in south Lebanon has met senior Lebanese and Israeli army officials at the border to discuss the transfer of Lebanese territory now under Israeli Army control.
In accordance with a UN resolution approved by the Security Council to bring an end to five weeks of fighting, Lebanon has agreed to send 15,000 troops to the south alongside an expanded UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).
Israel has vowed not to pull its forces out of southern Lebanon until those forces arrive but some Israeli troops did withdraw following the implementation of the cease-fire.
"The UNIFIL force commander ... has met with the senior representatives of the Lebanese Army and the Israeli Army... inside the UNIFIL position at the border crossing at Ras Naqoura, to discuss the implementation of and compliance with the agreement," a UNIFIL statement said.
"They also discussed the withdrawal of the Israeli Army and the deployment of the Lebanese armed forces in the south."
UNIFIL says it dispatched several patrols throughout its area of operations to monitor the cessation of hostilities which began at 3:00 pm AEST yesterday and which, with the exception of isolated incidents, appeared to be generally holding.
Israel's Defence Minister Amir Peretz told Israeli lawmakers: "We opened coordination with sources in UNIFIL to start the process of transferring (control of) the territory."
An Israeli Army spokeswoman says one battalion has left Lebanon after the UN-backed truce took effect.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200608/s1714880.htm
In accordance with a UN resolution approved by the Security Council to bring an end to five weeks of fighting, Lebanon has agreed to send 15,000 troops to the south alongside an expanded UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).
Israel has vowed not to pull its forces out of southern Lebanon until those forces arrive but some Israeli troops did withdraw following the implementation of the cease-fire.
"The UNIFIL force commander ... has met with the senior representatives of the Lebanese Army and the Israeli Army... inside the UNIFIL position at the border crossing at Ras Naqoura, to discuss the implementation of and compliance with the agreement," a UNIFIL statement said.
"They also discussed the withdrawal of the Israeli Army and the deployment of the Lebanese armed forces in the south."
UNIFIL says it dispatched several patrols throughout its area of operations to monitor the cessation of hostilities which began at 3:00 pm AEST yesterday and which, with the exception of isolated incidents, appeared to be generally holding.
Israel's Defence Minister Amir Peretz told Israeli lawmakers: "We opened coordination with sources in UNIFIL to start the process of transferring (control of) the territory."
An Israeli Army spokeswoman says one battalion has left Lebanon after the UN-backed truce took effect.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200608/s1714880.htm