Military

"I will be reporting to the Security Council today with the latest developments on the ground," Mr. Annan told the press this morning as he arrived at UN Headquarters in New York. "And then I will also expect to speak to President [Emile] Lahoud of Lebanon. And the UN troops would deploy to the border and the Lebanese would deploy their own troops alongside the UN troops."

Meanwhile in Lebanon, Mr. Annan's envoy Terje Roed-Larsen described his discussions today with President Lahoud and Prime Minister Salim El-Hoss as "without any comparison the most positive meeting" he had had with the President and Prime Minister. In a statement after the meeting, Mr. Roed-Larsen also said that Major General Seth Kofi Obeng, Force Commander of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), would be discussing shortly with a high-ranking officer of the Lebanese armed forces an operational plan for the joint dispatch of UN and Lebanese forces, following which the actual deployment could begin.

In a just released report on UNIFIL, the Secretary-General recommended a six-month extension of the Force on the understanding that UNIFIL would be enabled to deploy and function fully through its area of operation, and that the Lebanese authorities strengthen their own presence in the area by deploying additional troops and internal security forces.

Mr. Annan said that there was a "good chance" to achieve in the coming months the objectives of Security Council resolution 425 of 1978 and for UNIFIL to complete the tasks originally assigned to it. He said he would report to the Security Council by the end of October on the latest developments.

Mr. Annan also called for increased foreign aid to Lebanon, noting that the reintegration of the southern area would impose a heavy burden on Lebanon and that the clearance of landmines and unexploded ordnance would be a "vast task" requiring international assistance. "I should like to encourage Member States to cooperate with the Government of Lebanon and the United Nations agencies and programmes in support of the reconstruction and development of the area, not only for its own sake but as an important contribution to stability in this potentially still volatile part of the world."

Drawing attention to the "serious shortfall" in the funding of UNIFIL, Mr. Annan said that the peacekeeping operation currently had unpaid assessments - which represent money owed to the countries that contribute peacekeepers - amounting to $117.8 million. He appealed to all Member States to pay their assessments promptly and in full and to clear all remaining arrears.