Special report: Israel, Lebanon agree on ceasefire    

    BERLIN, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- The Germany government postponed a planned special cabinet meeting scheduled for Monday which was to discuss the possible deployment of peacekeeping troops in Lebanon, a government spokesman said Sunday.

    Germany has not received any formal request from Lebanon for it to send troops to join the UN peacekeeping mission in that country, spokesman Ulrich Wilhelm told reporters.

    "Lebanese Prime Minister (Fouad) Siniora has informed the chancellor (Angela Merkel) that due to discussions within Lebanon he could not send the necessary request to the United Nations," Wilhelm said.

    "It is clear that without such a request from Lebanon to the United Nations a deployment by the federal armed forces is not possible," he said.

    "The essential conditions for a German engagement remain: the agreement of the conflict parties; a robust mandate that makes it possible to fulfill the mission; and the agreement of the German parliament," Wilhelm said.

    While ruling out sending ground troops, the German government has said it is prepared to patrol the Lebanese coast.

    Some 15,000 UN troops will join a similar number of Lebanese army soldiers to be deployed in southern Lebanon under a UN Security Council resolution last month calling for an end to the 34-day-long conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. Enditem