United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan on Wednesday said the withdrawal of Israel Defense Forces troops from southern Lebanon was crucial to the success of the UN peacekeeping mission.

"We will have a credible force," he said, adding that "the withdrawal of Israeli forces is equally crucial."

Speaking in Turkey one day after the Muslim nation decided to send troops to Lebanon as part of the UN force, Annan also said he hoped Israel would lift its blockade of Lebanon with 48 hours.

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"I am still hopeful that the air, land and sea blockade will be lifted in the next 36 to 48 hours and I'm working on that with the participants," Annan told a joint news conference with Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan.

Earlier Wednesday, the commander of UN peacekeepers in Lebanon said Israel is moving close to lifting its eight-week old a blockade on Lebanon.

"I have the feeling that it is coming closer," Major-General Alain Pellegrini told France's Europe 1 radio when asked when the blockade could be lifted.

A deployment of foreign navies is designed to persuade Israel to lift a blockade of Lebanon's ports that has been in place since the start of the month-long war between Israel and Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas on July 12.

"I think the United Nations and the contributing countries are able to react very quickly," said Pellegrini, who is head of the UNIFIL peacekeeping force in Lebanon.

French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy reiterated on Wednesday that France was ready to help monitor the Lebanese coast. "If (the Lebanese government) wants us to help, we can do that," Douste-Blazy told RMC radio.

A Lebanese political source has said the Beirut government had prepared a letter asking the United Nations to help patrol its coast, but would not send it until Israel had lifted its restrictions on flights in and out of Beirut.

Once that happens and the letter has gone, French and Italian naval ships would deploy off the Lebanese coast, meeting an Israeli demand for measures to stop Hezbollah rearming.

Five days later, Israel would lift its sea blockade, the Lebanese source said. Israel has said that the blockade would stay in place until Hezbollah was prevented from rearming.

Israel did not have a problem with a graduated lifting of the restrictions, foreign ministry spokesman Mark Regev said.

"The idea being, however, that when the Lebanese army forces are in place, and reinforced by the international forces, at that particular port of entry, then we could lift restrictions," he said.

"When they are ready, we will be ready. It doesn't have to be all or nothing. We can move on specific places," he said.

Pellegrini said the ceasefire in Lebanon remained fragile.

"It remains fragile as far as there is an Israeli presence in Lebanon because every incident, misunderstanding or provocation can escalate very quickly," he said.

Turkey to send troops to Lebanon
The Turkish parliament on Tuesday voted to send troops to Lebanon, becoming the first Muslim country with diplomatic ties to Israel to pledge troops to an expanding international peacekeeping force that will monitor a fragile cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah.

Ruling party lawmakers voted in favor of the deployment of peacekeeping troops Tuesday, despite objections from opposition parties and street protests by thousands.

Annan was to meet with Prime Minister Erdogan, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul and President Ahmet Necdet Sezer to discuss details of Turkey's contribution to the force. Gul said the number of Turkish soldiers is likely not to exceed 1,000.

The Turkish parliament voted 340-192 in favor of sending troops to Lebanon, with one lawmaker abstaining, after a lengthy debate on the floor. Earlier, thousands protested outside against deployment because of fears the Turkish troops could face hostile fire or clashes with fellow Muslims supporting the Islamic militant group Hezbollah.

The decision was an important boost to efforts to deploy an expanded UN peacekeeping force amid hopes that strong Muslim participation would avoid any impression that the force is primarily a Christian entity.

Erdogan has said the Turkish force will focus on reconstruction in Lebanon and that Turkish troops would be withdrawn if asked to disarm Hezbollah.

While many Turks regard the Lebanon peacekeeping mission as a dangerous venture that could lead to clashes with fellow Muslims, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's party insisted on contributing. He argued it would raise Turkey's profile on the international stage. Turkey, which has diplomatic relations with Israel, is aspiring to join the European Union.

Hundreds of Lebanese army troops rolled into southern villages after Israeli soldiers withdrew from five of them on Tuesday - slow but steady steps toward implementing the UN-brokered peace plan agreed last month. Annan said Tuesday that he could get some positive news within two days on a deal to persuade Israel to lift its blockade of Lebanon.

The peacekeeping force in Lebanon is expected to swell from 2,000 to 15,000 troops. About 1,250 Italian and French reinforcements have already arrived.

Under a UN Security Council mandate, the mission known as UNIFIL is deploying throughout the south with an equal number of Lebanese soldiers as Israeli forces withdraw.

Annan's spokesman, Ahmad Fawzi, said Tuesday that a deal to lift the Israeli blockade was in the works and would entail deploying French, Italian, Greek and German ships to patrol the Lebanese coastline. Such a move could assure Israel its arms embargo on Hezbollah would still be enforced.

Israel has said it would lift the blockade only after protections are in place to prevent the Hezbollah militants from getting more arms. Israel has allowed some commercial flights into Beirut airport and has let some aid in despite the blockade.

Speaking in Alexandria, Egypt on the last leg of a Mideast tour, Annan said Tuesday that he expected "some constructive and positive news" on the blockade within two days.

Two Lebanese soldiers killed, one wounded defusing mines
Two Lebanese army explosives experts were killed and another seriously wounded Wednesday trying to defuse an unexploded artillery shell leftover from the war in southern Lebanon, security officials said.

The ordnance exploded as the soldiers tried to dismantle it near the village of Aita al-Jabal near the border with Israel, security officials said. The officials refused to be identified because they are not authorized to talk to the media.

One of the soldiers was killed immediately and another was taken to a nearby hospital where succumbed to his wounds. The third casualty was reported in critical condition in the same hospital, the security officials said.

Large numbers of unexploded artillery shells, bombs and cluster bomblets fired by Israeli warplanes and artillery during the 34-day war with Hezbollah guerrillas litter fields, homes and streets in southern Lebanon.

The war ended August 14 with a fragile truce between the two sides, but the ordnance has caused dozens of casualties since then.