Lebanon's Hariri begins regional tour on Israeli offer

Lebanon starts today an Arab and international diplomatic initiative to explain its position on the Israeli proposal of conditional withdrawal from south Lebanon.

This move will be led by Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri who is heading today to Cairo for a meeting with President Hosni Mubarak and Foreign Minister Amr Moussa within a tour of Cairo, Morocco, Saudi Arabia and Gulf States. Hariri will then head to the UN Security Council's member states, beginning in May.

Hariri has repeatedly expressed that the Israeli offer to withdraw from Lebanon cannot be conditioned, as Lebanon cannot guarantee the security of the Israeli border, which is one of several conditions that Israel is putting on its offer to withdraw from Lebanon.

Also taking part in this shuttle move is Lebanese Foreign Minister Fares Boueiz, who will today summon the ambassadors of the US, Russia, France, Britain and China in Beirut to discuss with them their countries' positions regarding the Israeli proposal and to brief them on the Lebanese position which rejects such a proposal.

Lebanese diplomatic sources say that messages explaining Lebanon's position in this respect will be circulated to the UN Secretary General and to the UN Security council five permanent member states.

In his replies to the messages of the US Secretary of state and to the French Foreign Minister, Boueiz will stress Lebanon's categorical rejection of the Israeli conditions and the need of implementing UN resolution 425 unconditionally, with no security arrangements.

Meanwhile, on Monday France and Egypt reiterated their calls for Israel to commit itself to unconditional withdrawal from South Lebanon according to UN resolution 425.

This was expressed during talks between Egyptian Foreign Minister Amr Moussa and his French counterpart Hubert Vedrine on the sidelines of the European-Mediterranean Forum currently underway in Spain on the level of foreign ministers.