The United Nations expects that a vanguard contingent of 3,500 international troops will be deployed to southern Lebanon within two weeks.
At UN headquarters in New York, Hedi Annabi, the assistant secretary-general for UN peacekeeping operations, says the advance team will help consolidate the cessation of hostilities and start the process of the Israeli withdrawal and deployment of the Lebanese forces. No timetable has been set for the deployment of the force, said Annabi, adding that it depends on how the contributing countries would respond to a call for their contribution as early as possible.
Meanwhile, in an Israeli TV interview, United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan said the international community was working hard to put together the fortified UN peacekeeping force for southern Lebanon.
 "They are trying to move them as quickly as possible, and once we have deployed, it may take probably weeks or moths, but we are trying to move them as quickly as they can."
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Director: Liu Chi