By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
The commander of the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon said Monday that his troops will not try to disarm Hizbullah, saying that was a matter for the Lebanese government.
Major-General Alain Pelligrini told reporters that the main task of the beefed-up UN force, known as UNIFIL, was to ensure that southern Lebanon could not be used as a base for attacks on Israel.
"The disarmament of Hizbullah is not the business of UNIFIL. This is a strictly Lebanese affair, which should be resolved at a national level," he said.
"Our mission is to have a zone between the Blue Line and the Litani (River) where there is no illegal army and from which you cannot launch hostile acts." Pelligrini said, referring to the area between the UN-demarcated border with Israel and the river.