Ban to Consult with Lebanon on When to Officially Start Tribunal”s Work
U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon has said he will discuss with Lebanese authorities on the timing of the start of operations of the international tribunal that will try ex-Premier Rafik Hariri”s suspected assassins.
He told An Nahar daily”s correspondent in New York that he has given instructions to U.N. personnel to continue administrative preparations to officially start the work of the tribunal.
He said he was working on obtaining more contributions to finance the tribunal though there was enough money for the first 12 months of the court”s operations.
Ban also said that the U.N. was concerned about alleged arms smuggling across the Syrian-Lebanese border, describing such operations as "illegitimate."
"We are trying to implement Resolution 1701," he said.
He vowed to help in efforts aimed at fortifying the border, saying he had asked Syrian President Bashar Assad during his visit to Damascus to upgrade border control systems.
Earlier in the week, the Lebanon Independent Border Assessment Team (LIBAT) said in a report that progress in fortifying Lebanon”s border with Syria has been minimal.
The four-member team was dispatched by the U.N. chief to examine progress made in enhancing border management and security as called for in Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 war between Israel and Hizbullah.
About the indirect Syrian-Israeli peace talks brokered by Turkey, Ban told An Nahar that he hoped the negotiations would help reduce security threats in Lebanon.
He welcomed all efforts made to reconcile bickering sides in Lebanon, saying "security and stability" in the country are very important.