Israeli Pullout from Ghajar Likely in Coming Days
Israeli troops are likely to withdraw from the Lebanese border village of Ghajar in the coming days, the daily As Safir reported Wednesday.
It said the pullout could take place at the end of a visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Washington scheduled May 17.
U.S. President Barack Obama, who has made the Middle East one of the top priorities of his administration, has invited Netanyahu, Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to Washington for talks in the coming weeks.
As Safir said a UNIFIL Italian contingent was getting ready to take over Ghajar after the Israeli withdrawal.
An Nahar newspaper said Washington has not been officially informed about Israeli plans to withdraw from the northern part of Ghajar.
Israel”s nationalist Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, however, said his government will "make an initiative toward Ghajar ahead of the Lebanese parliamentary elections."
As Safir said Israel has come under pressure from the new Obama administration to withdraw from Ghajar.
U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon, meanwhile, told An Nahar in response to a question about a possible Israeli withdrawal from Ghajar: "We are working intensively to resolve this issue."