Lebanese President Emile Lahud has urged the United Nations to enforce a promised cease-fire between Lebanon and Israel.
Addressing the U.N. General Assembly in New York Friday, Mr. Lahud accused Israel of 500 violations of a U.N. resolution ending last year's war between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah militants.
Israel has countered that Hezbollah has not disarmed as the resolution demanded, nor has it released the two Israeli soldiers whose capture sparked the conflict.
Later Friday, leaders from China, Russia, Egypt and Saudi Arabia will address the General Assembly.
On Thursday, Colombian President Alvaro Uribe said he would welcome the involvement of U.S. officials in a long-running hostage stand-off with his nation's Marxist rebels.
The president of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Joseph Kabila, called for a permanent African representative to be added to the U.N. Security Council.
Also Thursday, Rwanda's president, Paul Kagame, said U.N. troops have failed to counter attacks by Congo-based Hutu rebels in his country. Mr. Kagame said the rebels, some of whom took part in the 1994 Rwandan genocide, are still terrorizing the Great Lakes Region.
In prepared remarks, Thailand's prime minister, Surayud Chulanont, said his military government is meeting its own schedule to, in his words, "revitalize" democracy. General Surayud also expressed "grave concern" about the situation in Burma. He said his mostly Buddhist nation believes the use of violence against monks and demonstrators is unacceptable.
