U.N. Hopes for 3,500 Troops in Mideast

A UN peacekeeper from Ghana sits atop an armoured vehicle in Naqoura in southern Lebanon Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2006 on the second day of ceasefire. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis) (Ben Curtis - AP)

Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the planning and meetings are private.

The senior U.N. official stressed that the first priority is to consolidate the cessation of hostilities.

Then, departing Israeli troops will start handing over positions to U.N. peacekeepers, who will in turn help Lebanese army troops deploy, the official said.

The "rolling withdrawal" is likely to start in Marjayoun, a key town in the northeast, and move in an arc to the southwest, the official said. All Israeli forces had left Marjayoun on Tuesday.

The senior U.N. official said troop contributors want to be reassured by the Israelis and Lebanese that they are committed to implementing the resolution.

Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni is flying to New York to meet Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Wednesday to discuss implementation of the resolution and "the importance of having the international forces in Lebanon as expeditiously as possible," Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev said in Jerusalem.

Israel wants a speedy U.N. deployment "firstly to allow the Israeli troops to pull out of south Lebanon and to ensure the creation of the Hezbollah free zone in the south ... and secondly to make sure that the international arms embargo on Hezbollah is implemented," he said.

"It's clear from what we've seen in the last two days that there are those in Tehran and Damascus who have publicly expressed their opposition to the resolution, and it's clear that they will try to, through their actions, prevent implementation of the resolution," he said.

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Associated Press Writer Ravi Nessman contributed to this report from Jerusalem