Chirac tells Israel to stop Lebanon overflights

Paris, Dec 7: French President Jacques Chirac told Israel today it should stop flying warplanes over Lebanon in what Israel says is an effort to gather intelligence on Hezbollah arms smuggling.

Israeli warplanes have routinely flown over Lebanon since a 34-day war between Israel and Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas ended on Aug. 14 in a UN-sponsored ceasefire.

Lebanon's government and the UN peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon say the flights violate the ceasefire resolution, a view France shares.

Chirac ''repeated France's position on the overflights'' at a meeting in his Elysee Palace with Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, his spokesman Jerome Bonnafont said.

Livni countered that kidnapped Israeli soldiers should be returned and the shipment of arms to Hezbollah stopped.

''The border is open and we need information, we need intelligence, and the only reason for these flights is to get more information,'' she told a news conference with France's foreign minister before meeting Chirac.

Both Israel and France called for the full implementation of the UN resolution.

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said on Dec. 1 that he received reports of illegal arms smuggling across the Lebanese-Syrian border but has been unable to verify them.

France has also complained about Israeli planes approaching its peacekeeping troops in a hostile manner, which has almost caused them to fire rockets at the jets.

Reuters