Ban Raises Issue of Israeli Overflights, Shebaa and May Clashes in Report on Resolution 1701
U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon has voiced concern over the presence of armed groups in the area of peacekeepers” operations in south Lebanon and said Israeli overflights have reached record levels.
The Secretary-General, however, said southern Lebanon has witnessed the longest period of relative stability in many years as the cessation of hostilities between Israel and Hizbullah following their 2006 war continues to hold.
The presence of "unidentified armed elements" in the area of operations of the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), along with restrictions on the Force”s movement and the monitoring of its operations, are a source of serious concern, Ban said Tuesday in his latest report on Security Council resolution 1701.
"They raise tensions and cannot but cast doubt on the motives of those involved," he said.
Although Israel claims that Hizbullah is rearming in the south, the report said "it has found no evidence of new military infrastructure in (UNIFIL”s) area of operations."
Resolution 1701 helped end the fighting between Israel and Hizbullah in August 2006, and called for renewed respect for the Blue Line separating Israel and Lebanon, the disarming of militias and an end to arms smuggling, among other measures.
Ban underlined the importance of ensuring that the area between the Blue Line and the Litani River is free of unauthorized armed personnel, assets and weapons, and called on the Lebanese government to ensure the UNIFIL”s full freedom of movement.
He also urged Israel to cease all overflights, noting that air violations "not only continued unabated during the reporting period, but also reached record levels during the months of March and April 2008."
Ban noted the emergence of "several positive indicators in the region," which help in making further progress in implementing Resolution 1701, among them signals from Syrian President Bashar Assad on his regime”s willingness to establish diplomatic ties between Damascus and Beirut.
"I urge both parties to capitalize on this potential momentum and to work together towards the delineation of their common border," the U.N. chief stated.
He said in his report that he was encouraged by renewed declarations from the international community on the importance of finding a solution to the Israeli-occupied Shebaa Farms area.
However, the report mentioned that the Israeli military has remained in control of some territory north of the Blue Line and a part of the village of Ghajar. Ban stressed that this is a "continuous source of tension, which could easily escalate."
On the Doha agreement that ended Lebanon”s political crisis, Ban said there are new opportunities for the Lebanese people to consolidate the country”s political stability and create an environment conducive to further addressing critical challenges.
"I look forward to the speedy establishment of a national unity government and to the revitalization of the constitutional institutions of Lebanon, which I believe will help the country make further concrete progress on the implementation of Resolution 1701," Ban wrote.
The report also mentioned the events of May, which saw fighting between pro-government and opposition gunmen.
The Lebanese Armed Forces "will remain under considerable pressure" in the carrying out of their responsibilities, "particularly in the aftermath of the May events and the continuing clashes in some parts of Lebanon," Ban said.
He urged the international community to assist the army in "becoming an adequately equipped and capable force."