MOSCOW, September 8 (RIA Novosti) - A possible meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss Lebanon is being considered, a deputy Russian foreign minister said Friday.
"The Middle East problem demands thorough attention, and Arab countries are also urging the Security Council to focus on this issue," Alexander Saltanov said.
The UN has been leading international efforts to broker a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hizbollah and to have Israel lift its air and naval blockades of Lebanon, imposed to prevent Iran and Syria from supplying the Lebanese militant group with weapons.
The 3,250-strong UN peacekeeping force deployed in southern Lebanon to monitor the August 14 ceasefire will eventually be expanded to 15,000, mainly through European contributions, and will be combined with an equal number of Lebanese troops.
The UN is also presiding over efforts to provide relief aid for Lebanese civilians displaced as a result of Israeli air strikes against Hizbollah targets, and to help the country restore its gravely damaged infrastructure.
