Lebanese gov't to compensate war victims

He acknowledged the government had been "slow in the beginning" to react after Israeli airstrikes and shelling devastated large parts of Lebanon.

Siniora, who spoke before heading to Sweden to attend an emergency conference on humanitarian and reconstruction needs, said 130,000 homes had been destroyed or damaged in Lebanon during the war, including 50,000 in the capital's southern suburbs.

He said the compensation package of 33,000 dollars, plus 7,000 dollars for furniture, did not concern the latter, but did not provide details on the number of homes destroyed in the south of the country.

The total comes to 40,000 dollars, or 60 million Lebanese pounds, the currency in which the aid would be paid.

Beirut's southern suburbs were excluded because residents in the area did not acknowledge the government's authority and had already gotten compensation by the Shiite militant group Hezbollah.

As soon as fighting ended on August 14, Hezbollah representatives gave inhabitants of devastated areas that housed its headquarters 12,000 dollars per family in emergency aid.

Siniora said he planned to ask countries attending the meeting in Stockholm to sponsor rebuilding in around 38 southern Lebanese villages that suffered heavy damage during the 34-day conflict.

It was sparked by the July 12 capture of two Israeli soldiers during a cross-border raid by Hezbollah.

The Lebanese premier also said he would ask for mobile homes to temporarily house thousands displaced by the war.

In all, the Lebanese premier planned to seek 500 million dollars in emergency aid.

Siniora rejected criticism of his government in the aftermath of the war saying that while it may have been slow to respond at the beginning it was now "present and active" in tackling the huge challenges.

"The government is bearing up to its responsibilities ... and will do its utmost to improve services," he said.

The Lebanese government has come under sharp criticism for reacting too slowly to the population's needs once the war ended, while Hezbollah moved quickly to compensate victims.

Siniora said Thursday's conference in Stockholm was only an initial step in efforts to help Lebanon and should be followed by a donor's conference.

Much of southern Lebanon lies in ruins following the war and the government has estimated the overall cost of damage at 3.6 billion dollars.

One million people, or one-quarter of the Lebanese population were displaced by the fighting, and 300,000 have still not been able to move back home, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees said.

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