Lebanon rejects observers

Unifil soldiers patrol the border between Lebanon and Israel

Lebanon has criticised a United Nations Security Council decision to consider downgrading the role of UN peacekeepers in the country to an observer mission.

President Emile Lahoud said he rejected the plans, and accused Israel of putting pressure on UN member states.

We don't want to register any retreat from the firm Lebanese position

President Lahoud

The UN's Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil) is deployed at the request of the Lebanese Government, which formally renews the request every six months.

The Security Council asked UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Tuesday to present plans before the end of next January on turning the operation into an observer mission, and voted unanimously to slash the force's numbers.

Sensitive operation

Unifil has one of the most sensitive peacekeeping operations in the world, wedged for 23 years between Lebanese and Palestinian guerrillas and the Israeli army.

President Lahoud says Israel put pressure on UN members

The force has been steadily reduced since Israel withdrew its army from southern Lebanon in May last year.

It has been cut from about 5,800 at the beginning of this year to 4,500, and Mr Annan intends to reduce it to 2,000 by next summer.

Since the Israeli withdrawal, the UN has been urging Lebanon to send its troops to the region.

The UN says Lebanon cannot return to normality until the government establishes control over all its territory.

But Beirut has preferred to leave the border area in the hands of the guerrilla group Hezbollah.

This is partly at the behest of Syria, the main power in Lebanon, which has sought to retain Hezbollah as thorn in the side of Israel and a potential bargaining chip in its negotiations with Israel.