Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing exchanged views yesterday with UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on the phone regarding the implementation of a UN resolution on Lebanon and the appropriate handling of the Iranian nuclear issue.

 

UN Security Council Resolution 1701, unanimously adopted last week, demands a cessation of all hostilities and authorizes an increase of the existing UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon to 15,000 troops, in an effort to help Lebanese army take control of the south of the country while Israel withdraws.

 

Earlier yesterday, Iran offered a new formula in its official response to the six-nation package of proposals aimed at resolving the disputed nuclear issue.

 

(Xinhua News Agency August 23, 2006)