Annan to visit Beirut March 20
Lebanon, International, 3/6/1998

U.N. secretary-general Kofi Annan is scheduled to arrive in Beirut on March 20 as part of a regional tour, his first since assuming office last year.

Annan was expected to visit Lebanon last month but postponed the trip in light of the U.N. standoff with Iraq over weapons inspections.

Lebanon is an important stop in Annan's tour because of the presence of an internationl peacekeeping force in the south of the country which has been deployed in the region since 1978.

The 4,400-strong force, called the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), was deployed with a mandate to oversee implementation of U.N. resolution 425, which calls for an Israeli withdrawal from south Lebanon.

The peacekeepers, however, have often been caught in the crossfire between Israeli troops and Shiite Muslim guerrillas, and their mission remains far from being accomplished.

Annan is expected to pay a visit to the southern coastal town of Naqoura during his visit, which houses UNIFIL's headquarters.

Some 219 peacekeepers have been killed in south Lebanon since 1978.

Annan is also expected to carry ideas for the implementation of resolution 425, observers here say.

British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook is also due to arrive in Lebanon on March 18 as part of a regional tour. Iran's Foreign Minister, Kamal Kharrazi, will visit the country March 30.

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