U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan has urged Israel to lift its air and sea blockade of Lebanon but failed to win a commitment from Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. Annan said lifting the blockade would help Lebanon's economy to recover from the 34-day war between Israel and the Hezbollah group and strengthen Lebanon's government. Speaking at a news conference with Olmert in Jerusalem on Wednesday, Annan said the Lebanese authorities had told him they were trying to stop the flow of weapons, and that he believed Israel's security concerns could be addressed. "In the meantime, I do believe the blockade should be lifted," Annan said, according to The Associated Press. Annan is in Israel after visiting Lebanon. The U.N. chief is trying to strengthen a two-week-old truce that ended the war. Olmert did not reply directly to Annan's call, saying merely that the cease-fire deal must be implemented in its entirety. "The international community must not divert its attention" until that happens, he said. The United Nations is hoping to bolster peace in southern Lebanon through the deployment of a planned 15,000-strong force and 15,000 Lebanese troops who are being dispatched to the region. Annan said on Tuesday that he hoped to double the size of the U.N. force in Lebanon within days. Speaking in Beirut on Monday, Annan warned that all sides must fully implement U.N. Security Council resolution 1701 or face a possible new war. "Without the full implementation of resolution 1701, I fear the risk is great for a renewal of hostilities," Annan told a news conference.
