Senators urge Rice on Hezbollah

Ten U.S. senators urged Condoleezza Rice to work with the United Nations and Lebanon to end arms smuggling according to the terms that ended last summer’s Israel-Hezbollah war. U.N. Security Council 1701 “called on Lebanon to secure its borders and prevent the entry of unauthorized arms, with assistance from the enlarged United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL),” said the letter sent Thursday to the U.S. secretary of state and initiated by Sens. George Voinovich (R-Ohio) and Bob Casey (D-Pa.). “Unfortunately, the resolution is not being implemented and Hezbollah is re-arming at an alarming rate with the help of Iran and Syria.” The letter, which also called for the immediate return of Israeli soldiers held by Hezbolllah, is similar to one sent to Rice last month by over 100 members of the U.S. House of Representatives.