UN envoy Terje-Roed Larsen said on Monday Israel and Lebanon had stopped violating each other's territory, paving the way for the deployment of peacekeepers and the Lebanese army along the border, reported Reuters.
"UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) is now able to report to the UN secretary general that we have hit a point of zero violations of the line," Larsen told reporters after meeting Lebanese president Emile Lahoud.
The United Nations has said it would deploy its peacekeepers, who have been in south Lebanon since 1978, closer to the border on the understanding that the Lebanese army also moves in, the agency added.
A new report by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said there was "potential for serious incidents" on the border in the absence of Lebanese and international troops.
The United Nations has been working to resolve alleged violations by Israel and Lebanon of a "withdrawal line" it designated last month.
Annan said the Lebanese army would deploy if Israeli encroachments beyond the line stop.
However, Lebanese Prime Minister Salim Hoss said on Sunday that Israel has not ended its encroachments into southern Lebanon, said AFP.
"There are still violations which have not been corrected," Hoss told An-Nahar newspaper - (Several Sources)
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