UNIFIL peacekeepers will not disarm Hizbullah

The French commander of UNIFIL, Maj.-Gen. Alain Pellegrini, said Tuesday that his peacekeeping force will not attempt to disarm Hizbullah. Dealing with Hizbullah, Pellegrini said, was an internal Lebanese matter, and the 15,000 UN troops to be deployed under his command would not get involved. It was up to Lebanon, he said, to deploy its army in the south and deal with the Hizbullah presence. Pellegrini said reinforcements for the UN personnel already in Lebanon were needed quickly, because even one "stray act" could sabotage the cease-fire between Israel and Hizbullah.