The Lebanese cabinet will meet early next week to dispatch army units into the former Israeli occupied zone in South Lebanon. The Lebanese state news agency said that 500 army commandos and military police would join another 500 internal security personnel under a main command centre in the southern town of Marjayoun. The Lebanese government has been waiting for United Nations peacekeepers to confirm that Israel has withdrawn fully from Lebanese territory before deploying its own security forces in the area. Meanwhile, it has been announced the UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan, is planning to visit the Middle East next week, if the Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon is verified. According to UN sources cited by Israeli radio, Mr Annan has received an invitation to visit from several countries.
