September 7, 2006
1. Street scene
2. Wide of newspaper stand
3. Pan down newspaper headlines focusing on lifting the Israeli blockade
4. Man looking at stall
5. Close-up of newspapers
6. Various of man reading newspaper
7. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Local resident, Vox Pop:
"The lifting of the blockade is very important for Lebanon, but we should see what's behind the blockade. It was mainly in order to put pressure on Lebanon."
8. Plane carrying Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov taxiing on runway
9. Lavrov disembarks, greets Lebanese officials
10. Wide of Lavrov walking
11. Various interior shots of Lavrov meeting Lebanese officials
September 6, 2006
++NIGHT SHOTS++
11. United Nations (UN) Undersecretary General for Legal Affairs Nicholas Michel entering news conference
12. Wide of news conference
13. SOUNDBITE (English) Nicholas Michel, UN Undersecretary General for Legal Affairs:
"I am here at the request of the Secretary General of the United Nations - he himself is acting upon a resolution of the security council. The Security Council has asked him to negotiate an agreement with the Lebanese government with a view to establishing a tribunal of an international character. My presence here with my mission will be an important step towards the adoption of the legal basis for the establishment of a tribunal."
14. Michel's convoy leaving
Israel's announcement that it would lift an air and sea blockade by Thursday evening has brought signs of relief to a country buffeted by war and siege.
Digesting Thursday's newspapers, one resident of Beirut said the move was very important for Lebanon.
"But we should see what's behind the blockade," he said. "It was mainly in order to put pressure on Lebanon."
Israel had come under international pressure to lift its embargo, which had threatened to derail efforts to implement a UN resolution that ended 34 days of fighting between Lebanon's Hezbollah guerrillas and Israeli forces.
The embargo, which business leaders have said cost the country about 50 (m) million dollars per day, also was hampering massive rebuilding efforts.
The deal delivers the first test for the UN peacekeeping force to prove it can keep arms from reaching Hezbollah, in accordance with part of the agreement with Israel.
The lifting of the embargo marked a major victory for UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and it showed that with UN mediation, some of the outstanding disagreements might be resolved.
Israel is slowly pulling its troops out of southern Lebanon as international peacekeepers arrive.
However, some thorny issues remain unsettled, including the return of two Israeli soldiers whose capture on July 12 sparked the fighting.
As part of the continuing diplomatic efforts to consolidate the August 14 cease-fire, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arrived in Beirut to meet with Lebanese officials.
Meanwhile, the U.N. Undersecretary General for Legal Affairs also arrived in the country late on Wednesday to advance efforts in the formulation of an international tribunal into the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
Nicolas Michel said he was in Lebanon to meet top Lebanese judicial and political officials at the request of Annan.
"The security council has asked him (Annan) to negotiate an agreement with the Lebanese government with a view to establishing a tribunal of an international character," he said.
"My mission will be an important step towards the adoption of the legal basis for the establishment of a tribunal," he added.
Michel was set to present Lebanese Justice Minister Charles Rizk with a final U.N. draft on the tribunal later on Thursday.
