Israel rejects U.N. blockade appeal

Israel rejects U.N. blockade appeal
By Dean Yates (REUTERS)

Israel rejected a call from U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Wednesday to lift its six-week air-and-sea blockade of Lebanon, saying it would only raise the siege once all elements of a ceasefire were in place.

During an hour of talks with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Annan had pressed for a lifting of the blockade, imposed after the start of the war against Lebanon's Hizbollah guerrilla group on July 12, mainly on economic grounds.