Lebanese Information Minister Ghazi Aridi appealed Sunday to the United Nations to swiftly help lifting the Israeli blockage against Lebanon.

Aridi made the call in an interview to the Lebanese TV on the eve of UN Secretary General Kofi Annan's visit to Lebanon on Monday.

"The Israeli blockage was a violation of UN resolution 1701," said Aridi, adding that lifting the siege was going to be a "center point" in Annan's anticipated visit to Beirut.

"The UN resolution 1701 would allow us to step forward to deal with other substantial issues," he stressed.

Aridi expressed that the UN resolution came as a relief for the Lebanese people and it was in Lebanon's interest to peacefully implement the resolution.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said earlier last week that a rapid deployment of a UN force in Lebanon would enable his country to lift the restrictions, which he said are needed to stop weapons reaching Hezbollah.

Israel imposed blockage and launched massive military offensive against Lebanon on July 12 after Lebanese Hezbollah guerillas kidnapped two Israeli soldiers and killed eight others in cross- border attacks.

Although the 34-day-long fighting between the two sides came to a cease-fire on Aug. 14 thanks to the UN Resolution 1701, Israel has vowed to keep its blockage until a UN peacekeeping force takes control of south Lebanon to guarantee the safety of the Jewish state.

Source: Xinhua