Williams Worried About Rocket Attack, U.N. Chief in Beirut on Jan. 16
U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon Michael Williams has expressed concern about the launching of rockets from south Lebanon on northern Israel and called for utmost restraint.
"We discussed the situation in Lebanon and the wider region, and especially the situation in Gaza," Williams said in a statement after meeting with President Michel Suleiman, Speaker Nabih Berri and Premier Fouad Saniora.
"I relayed … the concern of the United Nations over the tension that the incident yesterday generated and the need for the utmost restraint by all sides during a very sensitive period, especially now that the resolution on the ceasefire in Gaza has been adopted by the Security Council," he said on Friday.
He said he agrees with Berri "that utmost vigilance was required during this period to avoid any tension from spreading to Lebanon" after rockets were launched on northern Israel on Thursday.
"The United Nations is encouraged by the immediate measures taken by the Lebanese Army, in very close cooperation with UNIFIL, to control the situation and to prevent further incidents from taking place," Williams said.
"I also discussed with Speaker Berri, as I did with President Suleiman earlier, the forthcoming visit of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to this region," the statement said.
An Nahar daily on Saturday said that Williams informed the Lebanese leaders that Ban will make a two-day visit to Lebanon on Jan. 16 during which he will meet with top officials, discuss the international tribunal that would try ex-Premier Rafik Hariri”s suspected assassins and inspect UNIFIL troops in the south.
Pan-Arab daily al-Hayat, however, said Ban will visit Lebanon for three days and will also meet with Hizbullah officials.