UN urges Israel's complete pullout from Lebanon

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2006-10-10 11:15

BEIRUT - The United Nations on Monday called for complete and quick withdrawal of Israeli forces from Ghajar, a village straddling the border between Lebanon and Israel-occupied Golan Heights.

In a statement issued by UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) after its meeting with senior Lebanese and Israeli army officials, it urged Israel to conduct complete pullout from Lebanon in line with UN Security Council Resolution 1701.

The statement described the meeting as "productive," saying the discussion about the situation around Ghajar was conducted "with a view to ensuing a speedy withdrawal" of Israeli forces from the area.

The village has been occupied by Israel since the end of the latter's offensive against Lebanese militia Hezbollah.

During the meeting which was held at the UNIFIL headquarters in Lebanon's border town of Naqoura, Israel provided maps of minefields it had laid in southern Lebanon, said the statement.

The full disclosure of the minefields has been repeatedly demanded by the Lebanese government and Hezbollah for years.

UNIFIL has passed on those maps to the UN Mine Action Coordination Center and the Lebanese army for review, said the statement.