United Nations General Secretary Kofi Annan told Defense Minister Amir Peretz during a meeting between the two on Tuesday evening that Israel is responsible for most violations of the UN-brokered cease-fire in southern Lebanon. He also called for Israel to lift its sea and air blockade of Lebanon, put in place at the start of the campaign against Hizbullah last month. In a related development on Tuesday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that plans to send German warships to patrol Lebanon's coast are on hold so long as Beirut refuses to make a formal request for the assistance. The ships would be part of the UN-brokered multinational force to be deployed in southern Lebanon after Israel's withdrawal. UN chief Annan said that he hoped French and Italian forces would arrive in the Lebanon by this Friday, doubling UNIFIL troops to 5,000.