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Apparently deliberate, says Kofi Annan

Atul Aneja

Israeli troops ignored observers plea?

Beirut: U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan strongly condemned the Israeli attack on the U.N. observers in southern Lebanon, which he said was "apparently deliberate."

The observers who were killed were from Austria, Canada, China and Finland. Indian Ambassador to Lebanon Nengcha Lhouvum confirmed that the over 600-strong Indian contingent participating in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) was safe.

Israel's Ambassador to U.N. Dan Gillerman accused Mr. Annan of making "premature and erroneous assertions." Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert however telephoned Mr. Annan and expressed "deep regrets" over the killing.

The BBC, quoting an initial U.N. report, said the peacekeepers in south Lebanon had contacted Israeli troops 10 times prior to the precision guided missile attack. The strike had apparently followed six hours of sustained shelling.

It said the Israelis had assured that firing would stop each time the U.N. forces contacted them.

Deserted

There was relative calm in the Bekaa valley, close to the Syrian border.

This correspondent, who drove through parts of this valley on Wednesday morning, did not see signs of fresh attacks. There were, however, remnants of recent fighting, as burnt out vehicles lined parts of road soon after the Syrian border crossing. Inside Beirut there was considerable traffic during the day. But by sundown, most public places were deserted.

Meanwhile, the U.S. has continued to oppose an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon. Instead, an international conference in Rome, called by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to discuss the crisis pledged "to work immediately" for a ceasefire.

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