A UN team arrived in Lebanon yesterday to check on reports of arms smuggling from across the border with Syria in violation of UN resolutions, an official said. The team was due to meet security officials controlling border during the two-week mission requested by the UN, and then draw up a report for UN chief Ban Ki-moon, the source said. Ban said last week the team "will review the roles of relevant agencies, with particular attention to current national customs and border monitoring capacities."
Meanwhile, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner told the leader of Lebanon's Christian opposition yesterday that France supports the independence and stability of Lebanon. Kouchner, who travelled to Lebanon last week, held talks with retired general Michel Aoun in Paris as part of regular meetings with Lebanese political leaders, said foreign ministry spokesman Jean-Baptiste Mattei. The foreign minister also asserted France's support for the creation of an international tribunal to try the murderers of former prime minister Rafik Hariri. |