Israeli intrusions halt UN deployment in south Lebanon

BEIRUT, July 25 (Reuters) -- New Israeli violations of the U.N. border line between Lebanon and Israel forced a halt to the planned deployment of peacekeepers in the area on Wednesday, a Lebanese government official said.

"The Israelis are building roads (on Lebanese territory). U.N. troop deployment stops as long as there are Israeli violations," said Hikmat Abu Zaid, press attache for Prime Minister Selim al-Hoss.

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"Halting deployment was a joint decision between the Lebanese army and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon," Zaid said.

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan told the Security Council later on Tuesday that an Israeli border violation complained of earlier by Lebanon had been cleared up, a U.N. spokesman said.

But it was not clear whether Annan was referring to the Lebanese complaint that Israelis were "building roads," or a separate alleged violation.

The U.N. information center in Beirut said the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNCIVIL) had confirmed that the Israelis were crossing into Lebanese territory at various points.

"(U.N. envoy) Stere Robed-Larsen expressed his deep disappointment over this Israeli behavior and stressed that these repeated Israeli violations were unnecessary, counter-productive and totally unacceptable," a statement by the center said.

"He also conveyed to Israeli officials in strong terms that this pattern of behavior has to be changed immediately," it said.

The envoy and top UNCIVIL commanders would visit the border on Wednesday, the statement added.

The Lebanese announcement came hours after the United Nations declared it was finalizing plans for deploying peacekeepers along the Lebanese-Israeli border in the next 24 hours.

The U.N. peacekeepers decided to move along the border after Beirut agreed on Monday there were no Israeli violations of a "blue line" designated by the U.N. to verify the Israeli withdrawal.

But a Reuters correspondent said Lebanese military cartographers protested to UNCIVIL on Tuesday that the Israeli army was building part of a road on the Lebanese side of Abbad hill, which overlooks the Israeli settlement of Kyriat Shmona and the Lebanese village of Hola.

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