U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan arrived in Beirut Monday at the start of a Mideast tour to strengthen the cease-fire in Lebanon. During his two-day stay, Annan will meet with Lebanese leaders and visit with U.N. peacekeepers, who are already deployed in southern Lebanon. He also was expected to visit Israel, Syria and Iran. A U.N. Security Council resolution ended 34 days of fighting between Hezbollah and Israeli forces on Aug. 14. The resolution also calls for deployment of 15,000 peacekeepers in southern Lebanon and an equal number of Lebanese troops to patrol the border region when Israel withdraws, according to a report of the Associated Press.
