BEIRUT, Lebanon - UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan's Personal Representative to Lebanon, Geir Pederson, explained to reporters on Friday the latest UN decision to widen his prerogatives in Lebanon, in a bid to defuse mounting criticism by Hezbollah MPs over this development, according to An Nahar Saturday. UN Undersecretary General for Political Affairs, Ibrahim Gambari, announced this week, during a visit to Lebanon, that Pederson's authority was expanded to include the whole of Lebanon, thus becoming Annan's representative to Lebanon. Hezbollah expressed concern at the UN move. "Is this officially imposing foreign guardianship over Lebanon?" Hezbollah MP Mohammed Raad asked.

In a press conference held at the UN House in downtown Beirut, Pederson said that his mission is part of supporting Lebanon's independence, sovereignty and stability. Pederson assured reporters that his new authority is not related to UN Security Council resolutions 1636, 1559 or 1595. Resolution 1636 stipulates urging Damascus to fully and unconditionally cooperate with the UN team probing the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri. The uncompleted section of resolution 1559 calls on the Lebanese government to disarm all local and foreign militias in Lebanon, in a direct allusion to Hezbollah and armed Palestinian guerrillas. Whereas resolution 1595 stipulates the formation of the UN investigative team on Hariri's murder.

Pederson read a letter addressed by Annan to the Lebanese government on Pederson's prerogatives. It said, "Widening the authority of my personal representative to Lebanon is aimed at coordinating all UN political activities in Lebanon. Since they [activities] have increased and as a result of contacts with internal authorities and UN organizations, I have decided to widen the prerogatives of Pederson to coordinate all UN-led political activities in Lebanon. His title is now the personal representative of the UN secretary-general to Lebanon."

According to An Nahar, Pederson could now be considered as the UN ambassador to Lebanon. Pederson said that his mission will not coincide with that of Terje Roed-Larsen, the UN envoy assigned with supervising he implementation of resolution 1559. He said that he will focus on the volatile situation along the UN-drawn Blue Line in south Lebanon.