Annan: Israel to lift block in 48 hours

Alexandria: Israel should lift its blockade of Lebanon within 48 hours, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said on Tuesday.

Annan's announcement was the latest from his marathon tour of the Middle East to shore up a ceasefire in war-torn Lebanon.

Annan also said he would appoint a mediator to work on the release of Israeli prisoners whose captured triggered the Israeli-Hezbollah war in Lebanon.

In Egypt, Annan told reporters after meeting President Hosni Mubarak that he expected Israel to lift its blockade of Lebanon "within 48 hours".

"Because we are all working very hard and with a bit of goodwill and reasonableness, we should be able to resolve it within the next 48 hours," he said.

Israel imposed its air and sea blockade on Lebanon shortly after its 34-day offensive against Hezbollah on July 12.

Besides Saudi Arabia, Annan has already visited Qatar, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, Syria and Iran as part of his regional tour.

Later on Tuesday, he is due in Turkey where thousands are protesting a government-backed proposal to send troops to Lebanon. The parliament was set to vote on the proposal also on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Qatar is the latest country to have pledged to send troops to a UN peacekeeping force for Lebanon. The Arab country said it will send at least 300 troops.

So far the bulk of the force, which could eventually include as many as 15,000 troops, is made up of European soldiers, mostly from Italy and France.