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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| UN hails 'important progress' on Resolution 1559 |
| 2006-11-01 |
| EFL The United Nations Security Council reiterated calls on Monday for the disarmament of all militias inside Lebanon, as the UN envoy on Resolution 1559 announced that arms were still being smuggled from Syria to Hizbullah. In a non-binding statement unanimously adopted by its 15 members, the council said "important progress" has been made on the implementation of Resolution 1559, particularly with the deployment of the Lebanese Army in the South. But the council also noted "with regret" that some provisions of the resolution have yet to be implemented, namely the disbanding of militias; the maintenance of strict respect for Lebanon's "sovereignty, territorial integrity, unity and political independence"; and free and fair presidential elections "without any foreign interference and influence." The Security Council statement followed a presentation by UN special envoy Terje Roed-Larsen on the progress of the implementation of Resolution 1559. After the meeting, Roed-Larsen told reporters that he had been informed by Leb-anese authorities that arms were still being smuggled into the country from neighboring Syria. The envoy said the officials gave no details on quantities or types of weapons. Roed-Larsen said representatives of the Lebanese government "have stated publicly and also in conversations with us that there have been arms coming across the border into Lebanon." "The consistent position of the government of Syria has been that, 'yes, there might be arms smuggling over the border, but this is arms smuggling and that the border is porous and very difficult to control,' Roed-Larsen said. "In order to have an effective arms embargo, there has to be cooperation with all regional partners, [including] Syria and Iran," he said. Roed-Larsen called the situation in Lebanon "worrisome." "The political rhetoric shows that there are very high tensions, and I think we have to look at the situation in Lebanon with all caution. And there are reasons for being worried about where this is heading," he said. Generally, the council renewed its call for "the full implementation of Security Council Resolution 1559 and urged all concerned states and parties ... to cooperate fully with the government of Lebanon, the Security Council and the Secretary General to achieve this goal." [snip] There was no mention made of Israel's repeated air violations, with the past week witnessing a high level of overflights over most of Lebanon in violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701. [snip] Under Resolution 1701, Lebanon is to secure its border and entry points to prevent the passage of illicit arms or related material. The resolution authorizes the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) to assist Lebanon in this task if requested. Scorecard: (1) Hez wants everyone to know that it is conducting "serious" negotiations with Israel (2) A UN Security Council statement strengthens its call for Lebanon's militias to disband (3) The Lebanese Gov't officicially informs the UNSC that arms smuggling from Syria to Hez continues (4)Monday's UNSC statement does not include a condemnation of Israeli overflights (5) A reminder at the conclusion of the article that UN Res. 1701 permits the UNIFIL forces in and around Lebanon to "assist" the Lebanese Gov't in securing its borders. All that plus the fact that the most intense debate in the Lebanese gov't is over the formation and scope of the Harrari tribunal (read: Syrian interference) |
| Posted by:mrp |
| #1 UN hails 'important progress' on Resolution 1559 Terd Larsen's expense account get increased? |
| Posted by: tu3031 2006-11-01 12:32 |