Fragile peace holds in Lebanon

Foreign ministers from France, Turkey, Pakistan and Malaysia were today due to arrive in Beirut to work out details on assembling a 15,000-strong international force to oversee peacekeeping efforts in Lebanon.

The force would work with an equal number of Lebanese soldiers to police the ceasefire that took hold on Monday morning and ended 34 days of brutal combat, Israeli airstrikes and Hezbollah rocket barrages.

The diplomatic manoeuvres came as the Israeli army had begun withdrawing part of its troops from south Lebanon while Lebanese troops planned to start moving across the Litani River tomorrow in a bid to take control of the war-ravaged region from the Shiite Muslim Hezbollah guerrillas.

The UN hopes 3,500 well-equipped international troops can reinforce the UN contingent within 10 to 15 days to help consolidate the fragile cessation of hostilities and create the conditions for Israeli forces to head home, said Assistant UN Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Hedi Annabi.

Journalists yesterday witnessed about 500 Israeli soldiers on foot crossing over the border back into Israel near the Israeli town of Malkiya.