Lebanon Seeks to Reassert Sovereignty Over Borders

BEIRUT, Sept. 4 -- The Lebanese government sought to reassert authority over its air and sea borders Monday in the face of a seven-week-old Israeli blockade.

Prime Minister Fouad Siniora said he would take up a German offer to help patrol the waters off Lebanon and seal the land border with Syria only after agreement on operating rules that make clear that the Lebanese military is in charge. His position flew in the face of an Israeli demand that international troops be the ones who guarantee that transport in and out of the country does not include weapons or other supplies for the Hezbollah militia.

In Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan said Monday that he would choose a negotiator to mediate between Hezbollah and Israel to win the release of two Israeli soldiers whose capture on July 12 triggered 33 days of war in Lebanon. Israeli officials, however, said Annan had agreed to seek the soldiers' unconditional release and insisted that negotiations were out of the question.

Siniora's stand on the continuing air and sea blockade reflected outrage among Lebanese and an effort by the government to reassert its sovereignty after a month-long war during which Hezbollah, the militant Shiite Muslim movement, was making the country's vital decisions on war and peace. With its demand that foreign troops police the ports and border, Israel has prolonged a situation in which some of the most important government functions -- security and border controls -- are being assumed by others.

Hezbollah has told Siniora it will not oppose assignment of U.N. troops to help the Lebanese navy patrol offshore or to monitor Beirut's international airport and its once-busy seaport, according to a source involved in the negotiations. The likely solution to the standoff, the source said, is for Siniora to request help from U.N. peacekeepers, who are mandated to help the Lebanese army, and for Germany to lend its assistance under the U.N. aegis.

Some Lebanese officials suggested Siniora's government could fall from power unless the blockade is quickly lifted. Former Gen. Michel Aoun, a right-wing political figure, said last week that agitation for Siniora's departure would begin soon unless the government displays a surer hand in getting postwar rebuilding underway and imposing authority over Hezbollah.

Nabih Berri, the speaker of parliament, organized a sit-in by parliament members that began Saturday and was scheduled to last until the blockade is lifted. Berri heads the Amal party, whose following is mostly Shiite Muslim, and has been a strong Hezbollah ally in government deliberations. But he emphasized that the sit-in encompasses all political persuasions.

The blockade has generated resentment across the political landscape because it dramatizes Israel's continued violation of Lebanese sovereignty. In addition, Lebanon's battered economy needs foreign trade in order to start down the road to recovery. Beirut traditionally has been a hub for transshipment of imports and exports with nearby Arab countries such as Syria.

Seeking to emphasize their opposition to the blockade, Siniora's ministers declared Monday morning that a Qatar Airways flight scheduled to arrive in Beirut later in the day would not be authorized to land if the airline sought permission from the Israeli military. They urged Qatar instead to defy the blockade in a show of support for Lebanon.

The flight landed on schedule Monday afternoon, however, and an Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman, Mark Regev, said it had obtained Israeli clearance. Qatar Airways said it will operate the flight daily from now on, joining Lebanon's Middle East Airlines and Royal Jordanian Airlines in resuming service to Beirut.

Regev said part of Israel's consideration in authorizing the flight was that Qatar has relations with Israel. Although the two countries do not have full diplomatic relations, Qatar has authorized Israel to operate a trade representative office in Doha. Jordan, the other country with an airline authorized to fly into Beirut, has long maintained diplomatic relations with the Jewish state.

Qatar's foreign minister, Hamad al-Thani, announced in Doha, meanwhile, that Qatar is prepared to send 200 to 300 soldiers to participate in the reinforced peacekeeping corps being set up along the Lebanon-Israel border. His offer was the first by an Arab nation to contribute to the force, which according to a U.N. cease-fire resolution is scheduled to grow from its current strength of 2,000 to around 15,000.

In Jiddah, Saudi Arabia, the latest stop on Annan's Middle East tour aimed at bolstering the Lebanon cease-fire, the U.N. leader said Israel and Hezbollah had both agreed to work through a U.N. mediator to gain the release of the two Israeli soldiers held by Hezbollah, news services reported.

"Both sides have accepted the good offices of the secretary general to help resolve this problem," Annan said at a news conference. "I will designate someone to work discreetly and quietly with them to find a solution."

In Jerusalem, Miri Eisin, an Israeli government spokeswoman, denied that the secretary general was mediating talks between the Israeli government and the Shiite militia. Rather, she said, Annan was acting on his pledge made to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert during a visit to Jerusalem last week that he would work for the soldiers' release.

"Israel and Hezbollah do not agree on anything," Eisin said. "But there is agreement between Israel and the United Nations that the implementation of Resolution 1701 clearly includes the unconditional release of our two kidnapped soldiers."

Regev, the Foreign Ministry spokesman, said of Annan: "This is part of his obligation to bring about the full implementation of Resolution 1701, which calls for the unconditional release of the hostages. We're hopeful he can bring about an early release of our two hostages."

Correspondent Scott Wilson in Jerusalem contributed to this report.