Peres says Israel achieved goals in war

ATLANTA, Aug 16 (Reuters) Israel's Deputy Prime Minister Shimon Peres has said Israel had achieved its goals during a conflict in Lebanon and that Hizbollah had lost close to half its fighting power.

''They (Hizbollah) thought they will bring Israel on our knees. I don't say it's easy but we withstood it and we feel that we went out of it militarily in a good shape and politically in an even better one,'' said Peres, told a news conference yesterday.

Asked whether the war had been a public relations success for Israel, he said it was more important to win a military battle.

Peres said he was confident a U.N. force would be able to protect Israel's borders in part because of its stronger mandate.

''Southern Lebanon is not a great piece of land but 30,000 soldiers in this piece of land is filling in this area .... The United Nations gave Unifil an authority that it did not have,'' he said.

Peres was in Atlanta as part of a four-day tour of six US cities to raise humanitarian funds for parts of northern Israel damaged during the war.

REUTERS PDS PM0425