SHOTLIST

April 4, 2007

1. Street traffic in Beirut

2. Wide of Newspaper stand

3. Tilt down of newspapers

4. Newspaper headline reading: (in Arabic) "70 lawmakers place procedure to form tribunal in the hands of the United Nations: avoiding Chapter 7 is still possible"

April 3, 2007

5. Saad Hariri, leader of the anti-Syrian parliamentary majority and son of the slain leader, Rafik Hariri, delivering the memorandum to Geir Pederson, the UN representative in Lebanon ++MUTE++

6. Lebanese members of parliament at meeting ++MUTE++

7. Wide of meeting ++MUTE++

April 4, 2007

8. Exterior of Prime Minister's office building

9. Close-up of Lebanese flag

10. Youth and Sport Minister Ahmad Fatfat

11. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Ahmad Fatfat, Minister of Youth and Sports:

"We proceeded to the United Nations after the failure of all internal constitutional attempts due to obstacles placed along the way by certain elements (in government). That is why we look to the United Nations to implement the resolutions."

April 3, 2007

12. Exterior of Parliament building

13. Members of parliament gathered in parliament hall

14. Camera operators

15. Wide of members of parliament

April 4, 2007

16. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Nawar Al-Sahili, Hezbollah Member of Parliament:

" This is dangerous move for all of Lebanon and it belittles the importance of the International tribunal. Instead of the tribunal being one that serves all the Lebanese people, one they all want and support, it is now a tribunal negotiated and imposed by a few Members of Parliament. Which makes it a political tribunal."

17. Image of Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah leader, on calendar cover

STORYLINE:

Parliament's anti-Syrian majority has called on the UN to impose an international tribunal to try suspects in the assassination of former premier Rafik Hariri after the government failed to win opposition support for its creation drawing condemnation from the Hezbollah-led opposition.

The anti-Syrian coalition's call late on Tuesday on the world body to take "alternative measures" to approve the tribunal amounted to an invitation to the UN Security Council to independently establish it.

Saad Hariri, leader of the anti-Syrian parliamentary majority and son of the slain leader, presented a memorandum to Geir Pederson, the UN representative in Lebanon, during a meeting late on Tuesday, demanding UN action to establish the tribunal in accordance with a draft agreement signed between the Lebanese government and the United Nations last year.

The memorandum, addressed to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, calls on the UN chief "to take all alternative measures under the UN Charter which ensure the establishment of the international tribunal which has been approved by the Security Council in order to achieve justice, strengthen national peace and protect world justice and peace," according to a statement issued by Hariri's office.

The memorandum accused pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, a key opposition figure, of obstructing efforts to set up the tribunal, claiming Lahoud repeatedly refused to sign the tribunal draft agreement because he considered the government unconstitutional after the resignation of six ministers.

Ahmad Fatfat, the Lebanese Minister of Youth and Sports, said the decision to go through the United Nations was borne out of frustration.

" We proceeded to the United Nations after the failure of all internal constitutional attempts due to obstacles placed along the way by certain elements (in government). That is why we look to the United Nations to implement the resolutions," said Fatfat.

The move prompted a warning from Hezbollah that such international intervention threatens Lebanon's security and stability.

On Tuesday, Amal leader and Hezbollah ally, Speaker Nabih Berri locked out pro-government lawmakers from the chamber, refusing to call the legislature into session.

It was the third attempt in as many weeks by lawmakers from the anti-Syrian majority to try and force Berri to call a session.

But Hezbollah and its Pro-Syrian allies in parliament have declined, seeking instead to negotiate limits to the tribunal's mandate.

Nawar Al-Sahili, Hezbollah Member of Parliament, called the decision to go through the UN a

" dangerous move for all of Lebanon."

"Instead of the tribunal being one that serves all the Lebanese people, one they all want and support, it is now a tribunal negotiated and imposed by a few Members of Parliament. Which makes it a political tribunal," said Al-Sahili.

Hezbollah lawmaker Hussein Haj Hassan said in a telephone interview with LBC television, warned that the establishment of a tribunal by the UN with out the consent of the Lebanese parliament is considered international foreign intervention in the internal affairs which threatens the security and stability of Lebanon.

SHOTLIST

1. Wide shot of tents and protesters outside prime minister's (Fuad Saniora) office building

2. Mid shot of prime minister's office

3. Various of protesters in tents

4. Men playing dice

5. Wide shot of tents with the Mohammed al Amine mosque in background

6. Various of protesters and tents

7. Wide shot of courtyard inside prime minister's office

8. Fountain in courtyard

9. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Ghazi Aridi, Lebanese Minister of Information:

"There is a real crisis in the country that should be resolved. It should be solved through political dialogue about all topics, leaving aside the issue of the international tribunal because there has been a consensus about this tribunal, and consequently we should be all working for the establishment of this tribunal. We should then return to discussing all political issues and reach an agreement. We must reach an agreement, a compromise whereby every party in Lebanon should make the necessary concessions in the interests of the country."

10. Wide shot of courtyard

STORYLINE

The Lebanese Minister of Information said on Saturday there was a real crisis in the country that should be resolved through political dialogue, at the same time the government should be working towards the establishment of an international tribunal to try the alleged killers of former prime minister Rafik Hariri.

"We should then return to discussing all political issues and reach an agreement. We must reach an agreement, a compromise whereby every party in Lebanon should make the necessary concessions in the interests of the country," Ghazi Aridi added.

Lebanon's Cabinet headed by anti-Syrian Prime Minister Fuad Saniora sent the president a draft accord on Monday to establish a tribunal to try the alleged killers of Rafik Hariri.

But President Emile Lahoud, a pro-Syrian, is expected to decline to endorse the agreement, which would set up a UN backed court that would sit outside Lebanon.

The tribunal has become a weapon in the battle between Lebanon's Hezbollah-aligned factions, supported by Syria and Lebanon, and anti-Syrian parties over demands by Hezbollah and its allies for a third of the Cabinet's seats.

That would give them veto powers.

Aridi's comments came as thousands of Hezbollah supporters were camping out in tents as the Shiite Muslim guerrilla group and its allies kept up the pressure on the US-backed government to resign.

Hezbollah officials said their campaign, which has disrupted life in the capital's commercial district, will not stop until their demand for a national unity government is fulfilled.

But the government showed no sign of backing down in a confrontation that has the potential to turn violent and tear apart the country.

The street action has been largely peaceful so far.

SHOTLIST

1. Wide shot of tents and protesters outside Lebanese prime minister's (Fuad Saniora) office building

2. Mid shot of prime minister's office

3. Various of protesters in tents

4. Men playing dice

5. Wide shot of tents with the Mohammed al Amine mosque in background

6. Various of protesters and tents

7. Wide shot of courtyard inside prime minister's office

8. Fountain in courtyard

9. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Ghazi Aridi, Lebanese Minister of Information:

"There is a real crisis in the country that should be resolved. It should be solved through political dialogue about all topics, leaving aside the issue of the international tribunal because there has been a consensus about this tribunal, and consequently we should be all working for the establishment of this tribunal. We should then return to discussing all political issues and reach an agreement. We must reach an agreement, a compromise whereby every party in Lebanon should make the necessary concessions in the interests of the country."

10. Wide shot of courtyard

11. Exterior pan of protesters close to Saniora's offices

12. Mid of soldiers seated on army vehicles

13. Mid of Saniora speaking to journalists

14. SOUNDBITE (English) Fuad Saniora, Lebanese Prime Minister:

"I have a strong belief in the Lebanese. They have tried all attempts to solve problems in the past through violent ways, through non-peaceful means and it proved to be a failure, so we can't resort to violent ways. It doesn't solve the problem. In Lebanon it does not solve the problem. Don't let anybody waste his time, it will not lead to anything. We have to agree among each other on all the issues."

15. Protesters outside Saniora's offices

STORYLINE

The Lebanese Minister of Information said on Saturday there was a real crisis in the country that should be resolved through political dialogue, at the same time the government should be working towards the establishment of an international tribunal to try the alleged killers of former prime minister Rafik Hariri.

"We should then return to discussing all political issues and reach an agreement. We must reach an agreement, a compromise whereby every party in Lebanon should make the necessary concessions in the interests of the country," Ghazi Aridi added.

Lebanon's Cabinet, headed by anti-Syrian Prime Minister Fuad Saniora, sent the president a draft accord on Monday to establish a tribunal to try the alleged killers of Rafik Hariri.

But President Emile Lahoud, who is pro-Syrian, is expected to decline to endorse the agreement, which would set up a UN-backed court that would sit outside Lebanon.

The tribunal has become a weapon in the battle between on the one hand Lebanon's Hezbollah-aligned factions, supported by Syria, and on the other hand anti-Syrian parties, over demands by Hezbollah and its allies for a third of the Cabinet's seats.

That would give them veto powers.

Aridi's comments came as thousands of Hezbollah supporters camped out in tents in the capital, as the Shiite Muslim guerrilla group and its allies kept up the pressure on the US-backed Saniora government to resign.

Hezbollah officials said their campaign, which has disrupted life in the capital's commercial district, will not stop until their demand for a national unity government is fulfilled.

Barbed wire and armoured vehicles separated the demonstrators from government headquarters where Prime Minister Saniora and some of his ministers have hunkered down.

But the government has shown no sign of backing down in a confrontation that has the potential to turn violent and tear apart the country.

"They have tried all attempts to solve problems in the past through violent ways," Saniora said on Saturday. "Don't let anybody waste his time, it will not lead to anything. We have to agree among each other on all the issues."

So far the street action has remained largely peaceful.

SHOTLIST:

1. Wide of skyline

2. Traffic on street

3. Wide of newspaper stand

4. Newspaper headline reading in English: "UN signs deal on Hariri court, raising pressure for ratification"

5. Tilt down on newspapers

6. People reading newspapers

7. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Farouk Fehmi, Vox pop:

"I support the international tribunal if it reveals those who killed Prime Minister (Rafik) Hariri, but if it is going to be politically biased I am against it."

8. Policeman directing traffic

9. Set up shot of Lebanese Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Marwan Hamadeh, Minister of Telecommunications:

"I think it is a very important victory for Lebanon, for its legitimate government and especially for international justice and I think it paves the way for the ratification of the convention and the establishment of the international tribunal."

11. Cutaway of hands

12. SOUNDBITE (English) Marwan Hamadeh, Minister of Telecommunications:

"If, by force or by any other means, the opposition prevents it we will go back to the UN (United Nations) Security Council to have it adopted under Chapter Seven."

13. Wide pan of protesters' tents in downtown Beirut

14. Various exteriors of Lebanese prime minister's office, surrounded by barbed wire

STORYLINE:

Some Lebanese residents on Wednesday welcomed the signing of an agreement by the United Nations to set up an international tribunal to prosecute the suspected killers of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

Last week, Saniora sent a signed copy of the agreement for creating the court to the United Nations. U.N. Undersecretary-General for Legal Affairs Nicolas Michel signed the agreement in New York on Tuesday and returned it to Lebanon for ratification.

"UN signs deal on Hariri court, raising pressure for ratification," hailed the headline in the Lebanese newspaper "The Daily Star".

The tribunal aims to try suspects in the February 14, 2005, assassination of Hariri, who was killed along with 22 other people in a massive truck bomb in downtown Beirut.

Many in Lebanon suspect Syria was behind the killings. Syria has denied involvement.

The tribunal has become a major point of contention in Lebanon's power struggle between the anti-Syrian government of Prime Minister Fuad Saniora, which supports the creation of the UN-backed court, and pro-Syrian factions, including the Shiite Hezbollah movement.

One resident, Farouk Fehmi, was apprehensive about giving the tribunal his full support.

"I support the international tribunal if it reveals those who killed Prime Minister Hariri, but if it is going to be politically biased I am against it," he said.

Lebanese Minister of Telecommunications Marwan Hamadeh said that the agreement was "a very important victory for Lebanon, for its legitimate government and specially for international justice".

"If, by force or by any means, the opposition prevents it (the formation of the international tribunal) we will go back to the UN Security Council to have it adopted under Chapter Seven," Hamadeh added.

Under Chapter Seven the UN Security Council has broader power to decide what measures are to be taken in situations involving "threats to the peace, breaches of the peace, or acts of aggression".

In such situations, the Council is not limited to recommendations but may take action, including the use of armed force "to maintain or restore international peace and security".

In November, Hezbollah and its allies quit the Cabinet as it was moving to approve the tribunal after Saniora rejected their demand for a new national unity government which would give their camp veto power over major government decisions.

The Hezbollah-led opposition has staged a campaign of protests for the past two months aiming to bring down Saniora's government and replace it with one in which they would hold one-third plus one of the seats, allowing them to veto major decisions.

Hezbollah, which is worried the tribunal will be politicised and used against it, says the government should not consider the tribunal until such a government is formed.

The protests turned violent in January when eight people were killed in clashes between opposition and government supporters, raising fears that the political crisis could once again push Lebanon into civil war.

The fate of the tribunal now rests with the Lebanese, with ratification requiring a vote in Parliament.

Ratification requires a vote from Parliament, but Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri - a Hezbollah ally - has refused to convene the legislature, where it would be brought to a vote.

SHOTLIST

++NIGHT SHOTS++

1. Exterior shot of Prime Minister's office in Beirut

2. Mid shot of Lebanese soldiers and armoured vehicle in position around Prime Minister's office

3. Mid shot of Lebanese soldiers

4. Wide shot of Lebanese soldiers and armoured vehicle

5. Wide shot of Prime Minister's office

6. Wide shot of Lebanese cabinet meeting

7. Mid shot of Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora sitting at head of meeting

8. Mid shot of picture of murdered Lebanese Industry Minister Pierre Gemayel placed in his position around meeting table

9. Various of cabinet ministers around table

10. Mid shot of picture of murdered Lebanese Industry Minister Pierre Gemayel

11. Cameras

12. Mid shot of Lebanese Minister of Information, Ghazi Aridi, at press conference

13. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Ghazi Aridi, Lebanese Minister of Information:

"(The cabinet) approved the creation of an international tribunal between Lebanon and the United Nations and authorised the Justice Minister to sign this agreement with the United Nations and also to send this approval to the Lebanese Parliament for authorisation.''

14. Cameras

STORYLINE

The Lebanese government on Saturday approved an international tribunal for suspects in the 2005 assassination of former prime minister Rafik Hariri, despite warnings of mass protests by its opponent Hezbollah.

Last-ditch attempts to reach a compromise between the government and the pro-Syrian camp, led by Hezbollah, appeared to fail as the cabinet moved forward with its meeting for a UN created court.

The tribunal is a key bone of contention in the power struggle between allies and opponents of Syria in Lebanon.

Anti-Syrian forces - mainly Christian and Sunni Muslim - dominate the government, but are facing a campaign by the mainly Shiite pro-Syrian camp to bring the government down.

The political crisis became potentially explosive this week with the assassination of an anti-Syrian politician, raising worries of more violence that could tear apart the country's fragile sectarian seams.

The anti-Syrian bloc brought out some 800,000 people for a mass rally at the funeral of the politician, Pierre Gemayel, on Thursday.

Hezbollah has shown it can bring out similar numbers for its protests - and if it goes ahead with its threatened demonstrations, many fear it could start a spiral of street action.

Earlier on Saturday, two key anti-Syrian Lebanese politicians met with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, an ally of Hezbollah and a Syria supporter, in an apparent attempt to find a compromise.

Prime Minister Fuad Saniora offered to put off the contentious Cabinet vote for several days if six pro-Hezbollah ministers who quit the government earlier this month returned.

Hezbollah demands that the government be changed to give it and its allies more power, or else it says it will launch mass protests to topple Saniora.

But the reconciliation bid appeared to have failed, and the Cabinet meeting approved a UN draft for the tribunal.

In the eyes of Hezbollah, the approval of the tribunal amounts to a rejection of its demands for a greater representation in the Cabinet.

The Shiite militant group and Lebanon's pro-Syrian president, Emile Lahoud, have denounced the current government as unconstitutional, because the constitution underlines that the government must represent all of Lebanon's main communities.

"(The cabinet) approved the creation of an international tribunal between Lebanon and the United Nations and authorised the Justice Minister to sign this agreement with the United Nations and also to send this approval to the Lebanese Parliament for authorisation,'' Information Minister Ghazi Aridi said after the vote.

Aridi's statement went on to say that Prime Minister Saniora insisted the approval of the tribunal was not meant as a provocation against Hezbollah and its allies.

For opponents of Syria, the court is a major priority, and they hope it will uncover the truth behind the February 2005 assassination of Hariri in a massive bomb blast that killed 22 others, which they accuse Damascus of orchestrating. Syria has denied any role in the killing.

The court, which will sit outside Lebanon and have a majority of non-Lebanese judges, is to try four Lebanese generals - top pro-Syrian security chiefs under Lahoud including his Presidential Guard commander, who have been under arrest for 14 months, accused of involvement in

Hariri's murder.

The UN investigation into Hariri's death has also implicated Brigadier General Assaf Shawkat, Syria's military intelligence chief and the brother-in-law of Syrian President Bashar Assad. But Shawkat is not in custody.

Hariri's death was the first in a string of attacks that killed five other prominent anti-Syrian figures - with Gemayel the most recent, in a bold daytime shooting on Tuesday.

Many Lebanese blame Syria in all the killings, which Damascus denies.

Since Gemayel's assassination, some ministers in Saniora's Cabinet have moved into the heavily guarded prime minister's building in downtown Beirut, fearing more slayings.

SHOTLIST

1. Various of traffic

2. People walking in street

3. Man by newspaper stand

4. Tilt of newspapers

5. Wide shot of As-Safir newspaper

6. Close-up of front page, picture of plane in sky

7. Headline reading (Arabic) "Lebanon regains its skies: the sea siege decision still waiting for agreement with the Germans"

8. Man reading newspaper

9. Newspaper front page

8. SOUNDBITE (Arabic): Vox pop, resident:

"The lifting of the aerial blockade over Lebanon is a positive step but it is not complete and this is a sign of weakness for the Security Council and the UN which are not able to have control over Israel and impose their power or implement the 1701 resolution."

9. Traffic

10. Wide shot of UN Undersecretary General for Legal Affairs Nicholas Michel at podium

11. Cameramen

12. SOUNDBITE (English) Nicholas Michel, United Nations Undersecretary General for Legal Affairs:

"We have discussed both the substance of the draft agreement between Lebanon and the United Nations, including the draft statute of the tribunal as well as the process to be followed, that is to say, the next steps towards the adoption of the agreement."

13. Cutaway of news conference

14. Michel walking out

STORYLINE

Residents of Beirut woke to the news of Israel ending its air blockade of Lebanon on Friday.

"The lifting of the aerial blockade over Lebanon is a positive step but it is not complete and this is a sign of weakness for the Security Council and the UN which are not able to have control over Israel and impose their power or implement the 1701 resolution," said one resident.

Israel ended the air blockade on Thursday.

An Israeli government spokesman also said on Friday that Israel will lift its naval blockade within 48 hours, once international forces arrive to monitor the seas.

The blockades were imposed at the start of Israel's recent war against Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon to keep the group's Syrian and Iranian backers from re-supplying it with arms.

They have severely hampered reconstruction of those parts of Lebanon battered in the Israeli military campaign.

Meanwhile, the UN Undersecretary General for Legal Affairs Nicolas Michel said he had discussed a draft statute of the tribunal to investigate the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri with judicial and political officials on Friday.

"We have discussed both the substance of the draft agreement between Lebanon and the United Nations, including the draft statute of the tribunal as well as the process to be followed, that is to say, the next steps towards the adoption of the agreement," Michel said.

The legal team handed Lebanese Justice Minister Charles Rizk a draft document on Thursday spelling out details of the structure and legal framework of an international tribunal.

Hariri was killed along with 22 others in a massive truck bombing in Beirut in February 2005, sparking massive anti-Syrian protests in Beirut and leading, along with international pressure, to the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon that ended a 29-year military presence.

SHOTLIST

1. Wide of police checkpoint outside Roumyeh prison

2. Mid of policemen

3. Zoom into car carrying the released suspects leaving prison grounds

4. Close of released suspect inside the car

5. Cars leaving

6. Tilt up of fireworks

7. People cheering, pan to man firing AK-47 in celebration

8. Women trilling

9. Men dancing

10. Man beating drum

11. Man distributing sweets

12. Exterior of AlMashari Islamic charity association

13. SOUNDBITE (Arabic), Sheikh Abdulkader al-Fakahani, al-Ahbash spokesman:

"We have known from the first moment that they were innocent and their arrest was not legal. The Lebanese justice released them today and that's what we were after."

14. Men cheering

STORYLINE

Three men jailed for more than three years in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri were set free on bail on Wednesday, days before an international tribunal was to begin trying the case.

The judge did not explain his decision to release two Lebanese brothers on a bail of 500,000 Lebanese pounds (330 US dollars) each and a Syrian man on a bail of just 100,000 Lebanese pounds (67 US dollars).

The three could still be prosecuted in the case, although no one has been charged in the suicide bombing that killed Hariri and 22 others on a seaside street in Beirut on February 14, 2005.

Investigating judge Saqr Saqr's decision, carried by the official news agency, said four other suspects in the bombing - all pro-Syrian Lebanese generals - would remain jailed, which could allow them to be turned over to the international court.

As the news of the release of the Abdel-Al brothers filtered down, several hundred supporters gathered outside offices of Ahmed's faction in a Muslim neighbourhood of Beirut to await their arrival.

Some beat drums, others handed out candy, set off firecrackers or fired off pistols into the air in celebration.

A spokesman for the pro-Syrian Islamic group, known as al-Ahbash, welcomed the release of the brothers, saying it knew they were innocent from the start.

At the time of the assassination, the generals headed the police, military intelligence, a General Security agency, and the Presidential Guard Brigade.

The late Hariri had close ties with Western leaders and was credited with helping rebuild Beirut after the 1975-1990 civil war and trying to limit

neighbouring Syria's influence over Lebanon.

Following his assassination, Syria's army withdrew after mass protests, which also sparked political upheaval and violence.

The UN Security Council ordered an independent investigation into the assassination after its fact-finding mission found that the Lebanese

investigation was flawed.

The Security Council set up the mixed Lebanese-international tribunal in the Netherlands at the Lebanese government's request after parliament split between the majority and the opposition and failed to ratify an agreement with the UN.

The case has been handed over to the tribunal.

The first UN investigator, German Detlev Mehlis, said the plot's complexity suggested Syrian and Lebanese intelligence services played a role.

Hariri's supporters accuse Damascus of the bombing, but Syria denies involvement.

Two of the men freed on Wednesday - brothers Mahmoud and Ahmed Abdel-Al, a member of a pro-Syrian Sunni Muslim fundamentalist group - were detained in 2005.

A UN probe into the slaying said Mahmoud made "interesting" phone calls February 14, including one to former President Emile Lahoud, just before a truck bomb killed Hariri, raising questions about the president.

But the office of Lahoud, a Hariri rival and Syria's staunchest ally, denied the president received the call.

Lahoud's extension of his term in September 2004 for three more years, under pressure from Syria, triggered a sharp disagreement between Damascus, then a dominant power in Lebanon, and Hariri, who opposed the measure then relented before resigning two months later.

Ahmed Abdel-Al was named by the U.N. probe in 2005 as a "key figure" who had extensive contacts with top Lebanese security officials before and after the blast, and tried to hide information from investigators.

The third man freed, Syrian Ibrahim Jarjoura, was arrested in 2006 on suspicion he gave false evidence and misled the investigation.

SHOTLIST

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

STORYLINE

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.