U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan was pleased Wednesday that Israel agreed to lift its air and sea blockade of Lebanon on Thursday, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. “The lifting of the blockade will enable Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora and his government to accelerate their economic recovery and reconstruction program,” Dujarric told reporters. Annan had been pushing Israel to lift the air and sea blockade, which was hampering reconstruction and humanitarian aid efforts. He announced the lifting of the blockade in Madrid on Wednesday, on the final leg of his Middle East trip to secure cooperation from regional players on the implementation of Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. Annan “will continue to exert every effort to secure the full implementation of Security Council Resolution 1701, enabling the government of Lebanon to extend its authority over its territory and to exercise its full sovereignty,” said Dujarric.
