Israeli spy cells to be included in report to Security Council
A senior UN official in Lebanon has expressed "concern" over the recent reported arrests of Israeli spies in Lebanon, saying it is a "very serious matter" that he has discussed with President Sleiman and Prime Minister Fouad Siniora.
Speaking after a meeting with Speaker Nabih Berri, UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Michael Williams said that information about the spy-rings would be included in the next report to the Security Council on Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 summer war.
"The operation of any spy cell in Lebanon would constitute a serious violation of Security Council resolution 1701," Williams said. "I have requested the Lebanese authorities to provide us with all relevant information in this regard in order to include it in the next report on the implementation of Resolution 1701."
His comments come after Lebanese security forces said they had discovered a series of Israeli espionage cells operating in the country using advanced communications equipment to deliver intelligence to their handlers in Israel.
Twelve people have been formally charged with spying for Israel, including six on Wednesday, who face accusations of aiding the Israeli military, and visiting Israel without official permission.
The UN releases regular reports on the implementation of Resolution 1701, aimed at drawing the attention of member states to breaches. Though there is no specific mention of espionage in the text, the resolution called for Israel to "withdraw all its forces from Lebanon."
Both sides have claimed that the resolution is regularly breached, in particular by Israel”s continued military overflights of southern Lebanon and the presence of the Israeli Army in the divided village of Ghajar which sits on the border between Lebanon and the occupied Golan Heights.
The resolution also called for Israel to hand over maps and information pertaining to the use of cluster bombs during the war. Millions of the deadly devices where scattered over Southern Lebanon in the final days of the conflict, prompting international outcry.
After three years of pressure from the Lebanese government, human rights groups and the United Nations, Israel passed the information to UNIFIL earlier this week. It is now being analyzed by the Lebanese Army for authenticity.
Williams said that release of the information could help to end the suffering caused by cluster bombs left over from the war. "If confirmed this would be an important step in the implementation of Resolution 1701 but more importantly in putting an end to the humanitarian tragedy that the cluster munitions have caused," he said.
"Earlier Speaker Berri reminded me of the very many casualties in South Lebanon, fatalities and injured, men, women and children that have suffered as a result of these cluster munitions. The UN had repeatedly called on Israel to provide this data since the 2006 conflict."
Earlier batches of data provided by Israel related to cluster bombs had not proven useful, mine clearance experts said Wednesday, but Williams said later that early indications suggested the information Israel had provided was "very significant."
"It is my sincere hope that even now, more than two-and-a-half years after the war in 2006, that this data will be invaluable in stopping any further injuries and fatalities to innocent people in southern Lebanon," he said after a meeting with Labor Minister Mohammad Fneish on Thursday.