Moussa meets with Annan's envoy

Egyptian Foreign Minister Amr Moussa discussed today with Terje Larsen, the envoy of the United Nations Secretary General, the role of UN troops in south Lebanon after the intended Israeli withdrawal from the area.

Diplomatic sources said that Egypt will assert to the UN envoy the necessity that the Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon be complete to beyond the air, land and sea borders of 1923, which are internationally recognized.

Answering a question about what could be done by the UN to prevent a repeat of the Israeli attacks on Lebanon, Larsen said the UN issued an important statement concerning these events which coincided with his presence in Beirut. He said the UN moves in a framework according to Security Council resolutions 425 and 426 and that he will present a report to the UN secretary general about the results of his discussions in Cairo at the conclusion of his tour of the area.

Larsen arrived in Cairo yesterday for a two-day visit to Egypt in his current tour of the area, during which he visited Lebanon, Syria and Israel where he discussed arrangements for the Israeli withdrawal from south Lebanon and the role of UN troops following this withdrawal.