August 18, 2006
 
ACCORDING TO THE UNSC RESOLUTION MILITARY OPERATIONS STOP LAST MONDAY IN LEBANON AND ISRAEL.
TEXT OF UNSC RESOLUTION 1701.
PRESIDENTS BUSH AND CHIRAC STRESS THE SUPPORT OF THEIR COUNTRIES TO THE MECHANISM OF THE IMPLEMENTATION.
SANIORA: THE INTERNATIONAL RESOLUTION IS IN THE INTEREST OF LEBANON AND THE CABINET HAS UNANIMOUSLY AGREED ON IT.

On the eve of a planned cessation of hostilities set to end the fighting that has engulfed Lebanon and northern Israel for the past month, violence in the region intensified, according to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), which sustained extensive material damage but suffered no additional casualties.

Secretary-General Kofi Annan had announced that following talks with the leaders of both countries, "the cessation of hostilities and the end of the fighting will enter into force on 14 August, at 0500 hours GMT."

UNIFIL reported that over the past 24 hours, fighting worsened throughout southern Lebanon. The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) "intensified shelling and aerial bombardment across the south," while Hezbollah "fired rockets in significant numbers."

There were five incidents of firing from the Israeli side directly inside UNIFIL positions in the areas of At Tiri, Bayt Yahun and Tibnin, and one incident of firing from the Hezbollah side directly inside a UNIFIL position in the area of Ghanduriyah.

The impacts caused extensive material damage in all the positions, but no casualties, the mission said in a news release. There were nine other incidents of firing from the Israeli side close to UN positions in the areas of At Tiri, Ghanduriyah, Brashit, Tibnin and Ibil as Saqi.

"UNIFIL strongly protested all the incidents to the Israeli and Lebanese authorities respectively."

For a week now, a humanitarian convoy to distribute food to the villages in the western sector, and other humanitarian activities planned by UNIFIL, could not proceed because the IDF has denied consent.

Blue helmets were able to facilitate medical assistance to a wounded girl who they relocated to the UNIFIL hospital in Naqoura. Three other wounded Lebanese civilians were relocated from the UNIFIL hospital in Naqoura to the hospital in Tyre for further medical treatment.

On Friday, weeks of intensive diplomacy culminated in the unanimous adoption by the Security Council of a resolution calling for the cessation of hostilities. The text welcomed the Lebanese Government's plan to deploy 15,000 troops across the south of the country as Israel withdraws behind the Blue Line. It also backed the simultaneous deployment of UNIFIL with up to 15,000 peacekeepers from the current strength of some 2,000.

The mission will be tasked with monitoring the cessation of hostilities, helping to ensure humanitarian access to civilians and the safe return of displaced persons, and supporting the Lebanese armed forces as they deploy in the south and enforce their responsibilities under the resolution.

In announcing the cessation of hostilities, Mr. Annan said there should be an immediate end to the fighting "to respect the spirit and intent of the Council decision, the object of which was to save civilian lives, to spare the pain and suffering that the civilians on both sides are living through."

Civilians make up the overwhelming majority of the victims of this conflict, which broke out following Hezbollah's capture of two Israeli soldiers on 12 July. According to the Lebanese Higher Relief Council, over 1,000 Lebanese have been killed and 3,600 wounded, while Israel's Government reports that more than 40 Israeli civilians have been killed. An estimated one fourth of the entire population of Lebanon has been forced to flee their homes.

Welcoming the Security Council resolution that calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities in the Middle East, Secretary-General Kofi Annan said he believed it could serve as a base to reach "a sustainable and lasting ceasefire agreement" in the coming days and ultimately to the start of "a process to solve the underlying political problems in the region through political means."

In his address to the Council ahead of the vote on the resolution, Mr. Annan said he would work with the Lebanese and Israeli Governments over the weekend to determine "the exact date and time at which the cessation of hostilities will come into effect."

But the Secretary-General also told the 15-member body how "profoundly disappointed" he was that the Council took so long to agree to such a resolution.

"All members of this Council must be aware that its inability to act sooner has badly shaken the world's faith in its authority and integrity," he said.

In a unanimous vote, conducted after weeks of intensive diplomacy with Mr. Annan pushing for action, the 15-member Council called for Hezbollah to stop all attacks immediately and for Israel to cease "all offensive military operations."

The resolution welcomed the Lebanese Government's plan to deploy 15,000 of its own troops in the country's south as Israel withdraws its forces behind the Blue Line "at the earliest," while at the same time the size and mandate of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) is significantly expanded.

During his speech, Mr. Annan said that too many children have died in the conflict, and Lebanon's economy and infrastructure have been devastated at a time when its population was "making real progress towards political reform and economic recovery."

The country's attempts to "cast off the chains of external interference and domestic strife" will require not only constructive cooperation among Lebanon's different groups, but "mutual goodwill and sustained dialogue" with key figures in the region, including the Syrian and Iranian Governments.

Voicing "pride and admiration for the courage" of UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) peacekeepers, as well as UN humanitarian workers, he observed that UNIFIL faces a task under the resolution "perhaps even more difficult and dangerous than its previous one.

"It must be robust and effective, and ensure that no vacuum is left between the Israeli withdrawal and the deployment of Lebanese forces," he said, adding it must be provided with sophisticated military capabilities and additional troops as soon as possible.

Mr. Annan also called for:

Humanitarian convoys and relief workers to be given "a real guarantee of safe passage and access to those who need help";

A resolution of the Shebaa Farms border dispute in accordance with resolution 1680;

The release of prisoners in the region, "starting with those who have been taken hostage";

Potential donors to respond swiftly to requests from Lebanon for financial help;

and the Security Council and the wider international community to tackle the crises in the Middle East "not in isolation or bilaterally, but as part of a holistic and comprehensive effort."

He also warned Council members not to turn their backs "on the bloodshed, suffering and hardship" suffered by Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, or the danger to Israelis from rockets launched from inside Gaza.

The Lebanese Government said more than 1,000 of its civilians have been killed and another 3,600 others have been injured, while about a quarter of the population or a million people have been displaced from their homes. Some 41 Israeli civilians have also died, while many others have had to flee their homes or seek shelter from rocket attacks.

Lebanon's Acting Foreign Minister Tarek Mitri told the Council that while his country is eager to see a cessation of hostilities, the nature of the cessation must be the same for both sides. "The Lebanese are not confident in [an] Israeli distinction between 'defensive' and 'offensive.' The end to military operations should be unqualified," he said, adding that "the obscenely disproportionate and unjustifiable Israeli retaliation" has already led to the deaths of more than 1,000 Lebanese.

Although Dr. Mitri welcomed the Council's acknowledgement of the Shebaa Farms issue, he said a durable political solution to the crises in the Middle East cannot "be implemented as long as Israel continues to occupy Arab land in Lebanon, Gaza, the West Bank and in the Syrian Golan Heights, and wages war on innocent people in Lebanon and Palestine."

Israeli ambassador Dan Gillerman said the resolution represented "an opportunity to correct the mistakes of the past and to create a genuine new reality in our region," citing the prohibition against the supply of weapons to armed groups in Lebanon and "a radically different international force with a mandate and capabilities to create a new situation in Lebanon in which the borders will be secure."

Stressing, however, that the resolution will not work unless there is international will to implement it

United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice welcomed the resolution's adoption but said "now, the hard and urgent work of implementation begins." She urged the Governments of Israel and Lebanon to commit to ending large-scale violence, adding that "Hezbollah now faces a clear choice between war and peace, and the world should help to ensure that the choice is the right one." The most pressing challenge is to help thousands of displaced people, she said, pledging the support of the US in this effort.

"Finally, the Security Council of the United Nations is deciding to halt war in Lebanon and Israel," said the Minister of Foreign Affairs of France, Philippe Douste-Blazy. "Finally an end has been to the destruction, to the thousands of displaced persons, to an economic, humanitarian situation that is getting more tragic each day." He called on all countries to contribute to a reinforced UNIFIL, and said France, which is already part of the Force, is examining the additional supplementary support that it might be able to provide.

Qatar's Foreign Minister, Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabr al-Thani, said the Security Council should have adopted a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire since the first day of the current hostilities. The resolution, though welcome, "lacks balance and overlooks the accumulated, complicated, historical, social and political factors that have culminated in the current situation in the region." It did not address the destruction caused by Israel nor its legal and humanitarian responsibility.

He also announced that the League of Arab States would seek to convene a high-level Security Council meeting in September aimed at adopting a new resolution to establish a just peace in the region within a set time frame.

One day after the Security Council voted unanimously for a cessation of hostilities in Lebanon, fighting continued today and one blue helmet was wounded when Israeli fire hit a United Nations position in the south.

Expressing relief that the cessation of hostilities in Lebanon and northern Israel "appears to be generally holding" since it began, Secretary-General Kofi Annan called on all sides in the recent conflict in the region to act quickly to consolidate progress and then convert it into a durable ceasefire.

As the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) dispatched patrols to monitor the cessation across its area of operation in southern Lebanon, Mr. Annan said in a statement issued in New York that millions of people around the world are counting on the agreement leading to peace.

"Neither side should have any reason to disappoint those hopes and, if either were to do so, it would pay a heavy price in terms of world public opinion," he said.

The cessation of hostilities took effect at 8 a.m. local time August 14, 2006, following talks Mr. Annan held with the leaders of Israel and Lebanon in the wake of the Security Council resolution 1701 calling for an immediate cessation.

The resolution also calls for the deployment of Lebanese troops and a significantly expanded UN peacekeeping presence across southern Lebanon, as well as the simultaneous withdrawal of all Israeli forces from the same area.

In his statement Mr. Annan urged Member States to contribute to an enhanced UNIFIL, which has been authorized to have up to 15,000 peacekeepers.

The mission said in a press release that there were no reports of incidents or breaches of the agreement in its area of operations up until 1 p.m. local time.

At a meeting at the border crossing at Ras Naqoura, UNIFIL Force Commander General Alain Pellegrini met senior officials from the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) and the Lebanese army to discuss the implementation of the agreement, as well as the withdrawal of the IDF and the deployment of Lebanese forces in the south.

In the 24 hours before the cessation of hostilities came into effect, UNIFIL said that fierce fighting continued across the south, from the Mediterranean coast to close to the Syrian border. The IDF intensified its shelling and aerial bombardment, while Hezbollah fired rockets, albeit in reduced numbers.

There were also nine serious incidents of firing from the Israeli side directly at UN posts in Tibnin, Haris, At Tiri and Marun al Ras, "causing massive material damage to all the positions," UNIFIL said. Mission personnel at those posts were forced into shelters to prevent casualties.

UNIFIL stated that it had protested strongly to the command of the IDF about the incidents.

The text of Resolution 1701, passed unanimously by the UN Security Council aimed at ending the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The Security Council,

Recalling all its previous resolutions on Lebanon, in particular resolutions 425 (1978), 426 (1978), 520 (1982), 1559 (2004), 1655 (2006), 1680 (2006) and 1697 (2006), as well as the statements of its president on the situation in Lebanon, in particular the statements of 18 June, 2000, of 19 October, 2004, of 4 May 2005, of 23 January 2006 and of 30 July 2006;

Expressing its utmost concern at the continuing escalation of hostilities in Lebanon and in Israel since Hezbollah's attack on Israel on 12 July 2006, which has already caused hundreds of deaths and injuries on both sides, extensive damage to civilian infrastructure and hundreds of thousands of internally displaced persons;

Emphasising the need for an end of violence, but at the same time emphasising the need to address urgently the causes that have given rise to the current crisis, including by the unconditional release of the abducted Israeli soldiers;

Mindful of the sensitivity of the issue of prisoners and encouraging the efforts aimed at urgently settling the issue of the Lebanese prisoners detained in Israel;

Welcoming the efforts of the Lebanese prime minister and the commitment of the government of Lebanon, in its seven-point plan, to extend its authority over its territory, through its own legitimate armed forces, such that there will be no weapons without the consent of the government of Lebanon and no authority other than that of the government of Lebanon, welcoming also its commitment to a UN force that is supplemented and enhanced in numbers, equipment, mandate and scope of operation, and bearing in mind its request in this plan for an immediate withdrawal of the Israeli forces from southern Lebanon;

Determined to act for this withdrawal to happen at the earliest;

Taking due note of the proposals made in the seven-point plan regarding the Shebaa farms area;

Welcoming the unanimous decision by the government of Lebanon on 7 August 2006 to deploy a Lebanese armed force of 15,000 troops in south Lebanon as the Israeli army withdraws behind the Blue Line and to request the assistance of additional forces from Unifil as needed, to facilitate the entry of the Lebanese armed forces into the region and to restate its intention to strengthen the Lebanese armed forces with material as needed to enable it to perform its duties;

Aware of its responsibilities to help secure a permanent ceasefire and a long-term solution to the conflict;

Determining that the situation in Lebanon constitutes a threat to international peace and security;

1. Calls for a full cessation of hostilities based upon, in particular, the immediate cessation by Hezbollah of all attacks and the immediate cessation by Israel of all offensive military operations;

2. Upon full cessation of hostilities, calls upon the government of Lebanon and Unifil as authorised by paragraph 11 to deploy their forces together throughout the South and calls upon the government of Israel, as that deployment begins, to withdraw all of its forces from southern Lebanon in parallel;

3. Emphasises the importance of the extension of the control of the government of Lebanon over all Lebanese territory in accordance with the provisions of resolution 1559 (2004) and resolution 1680 (2006), and of the relevant provisions of the Taif Accords, for it to exercise its full sovereignty, so that there will be no weapons without the consent of the government of Lebanon and no authority other than that of the government of Lebanon;

4. Reiterates its strong support for full respect for the Blue Line;

5. Also reiterates its strong support, as recalled in all its previous relevant resolutions, for the territorial integrity, sovereignty and political independence of Lebanon within its internationally recognized borders, as contemplated by the Israeli-Lebanese General Armistice Agreement of 23 March 1949;

6. Calls on the international community to take immediate steps to extend its financial and humanitarian assistance to the Lebanese people, including through facilitating the safe return of displaced persons and, under the authority of the government of Lebanon, reopening airports and harbours, consistent with paragraphs 14 and 15, and calls on it also to consider further assistance in the future to contribute to the reconstruction and development of Lebanon;

7. Affirms that all parties are responsible for ensuring that no action is taken contrary to paragraph 1 that might adversely affect the search for a long-term solution, humanitarian access to civilian populations, including safe passage for humanitarian convoys, or the voluntary and safe return of displaced persons, and calls on all parties to comply with this responsibility and to cooperate with the Security Council;

8. Calls for Israel and Lebanon to support a permanent ceasefire and a long-term solution based on the following principles and elements:

Full respect for the Blue Line by both parties;

security arrangements to prevent the resumption of hostilities, including the establishment between the Blue Line and the Litani river of an area free of any armed personnel, assets and weapons other than those of the government of Lebanon and of UNIFIL as authorised in paragraph 11, deployed in this area;

Full implementation of the relevant provisions of the Taif Accords, and of resolutions 1559 (2004) and 1680 (2006), that require the disarmament of all armed groups in Lebanon, so that, pursuant to the Lebanese cabinet decision of July 27, 2006, there will be no weapons or authority in Lebanon other than that of the Lebanese state;

No foreign forces in Lebanon without the consent of its government; No sales or supply of arms and related materiel to Lebanon except as authorized by its government;

Provision to the United Nations of all remaining maps of land mines in Lebanon in Israel's possession;

9. Invites the secretary general to support efforts to secure as soon as possible agreements in principle from the government of Lebanon and the government of Israel to the principles and elements for a long-term solution as set forth in paragraph 8, and expresses its intention to be actively involved;

10. Requests the secretary general to develop, in liaison with relevant international actors and the concerned parties, proposals to implement the relevant provisions of the Taif Accords, and resolutions 1559 (2004) and 1680 (2006), including disarmament, and for delineation of the international borders of Lebanon, especially in those areas where the border is disputed or uncertain, including by dealing with the Shebaa farms area, and to present to the Security Council those proposals within 30 days;

11. Decides, in order to supplement and enhance the force in numbers, equipment, mandate and scope of operations, to authorize an increase in the force strength of Unifil to a maximum of 15,000 troops, and that the force shall, in addition to carrying out its mandate under resolutions 425 and 426 (1978):

a. Monitor the cessation of hostilities;

b. Accompany and support the Lebanese armed forces as they deploy throughout the South, including along the Blue Line, as Israel withdraws its armed forces from Lebanon as provided in paragraph 2;

c. Coordinate its activities related to paragraph 11 (b) with the government of Lebanon and the government of Israel;

d. Extend its assistance to help ensure humanitarian access to civilian populations and the voluntary and safe return of displaced persons;

e. Assist the Lebanese armed forces in taking steps towards the establishment of the area as referred to in paragraph 8;

f. Assist the government of Lebanon, at its request, to implement paragraph 14;

12. Acting in support of a request from the government of Lebanon to deploy an international force to assist it to exercise its authority throughout the territory, authorizes UNIFIL to take all necessary action in areas of deployment of its forces and as it deems within its capabilities, to ensure that its area of operations is not utilised for hostile activities of any kind, to resist attempts by forceful means to prevent it from discharging its duties under the mandate of the Security Council, and to protect United Nations personnel, facilities, installations and equipment, ensure the security and freedom of movement of United Nations personnel, humanitarian workers, and, without prejudice to the responsibility of the government of Lebanon, to protect civilians under imminent threat of physical violence;

13. Requests the secretary general urgently to put in place measures to ensure Unifil is able to carry out the functions envisaged in this resolution, urges member states to consider making appropriate contributions to Unifil and to respond positively to requests for assistance from the Force, and expresses its strong appreciation to those who have contributed to Unifil in the past;

14. Calls upon the government of Lebanon to secure its borders and other entry points to prevent the entry in Lebanon without its consent of arms or related materiel and requests Unifil as authorised in paragraph 11 to assist the government of Lebanon at its request;

15. Decides further that all states shall take the necessary measures to prevent, by their nationals or from their territories or using their flag vessels or aircraft;

a. the sale or supply to any entity or individual in Lebanon of arms and related materiel of all types, including weapons and ammunition, military vehicles and equipment, paramilitary equipment, and spare parts for the aforementioned, whether or not originating in their territories, and;

b. the provision to any entity or individual in Lebanon of any technical training or assistance related to the provision, manufacture, maintenance or use of the items listed in subparagraph (a) above, except that these prohibitions shall not apply to arms, related material, training or assistance authorised by the government of Lebanon or by Unifil as authorised in paragraph 11;

16. Decides to extend the mandate of Unifil until 31 August 2007, and expresses its intention to consider in a later resolution further enhancements to the mandate and other steps to contribute to the implementation of a permanent ceasefire and a long-term solution;

17. Requests the secretary general to report to the Council within one week on the implementation of this resolution and subsequently on a regular basis;

18. Stresses the importance of, and the need to achieve, a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East, based on all its relevant resolutions including its resolutions 242 (1967) of 22 November 1967 and 338 (1973) of 22 October 1973;

19. Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.

On the other handf US President George W Bush spoke to Lebanese Prime Minister, Fouad Saniora last Saturday for the second time since the war in the Middle East began, saying he hoped a new UN resolution would dismantle what he called Hezbollah's "state within a state."

White House National Security spokesman, Frederick Jones confirmed Bush called Saniora and the two had spoken for eight minutes about the resolution "and their common efforts to bring about a cessation of hostilities."

France urged the deployment of a UN peacekeeping force "as quickly as possible" to cement a fragile cease-fire in the Middle East.

Diplomats at the United Nations were to consider details Monday on the size and timing of the deployment of UNIFIL in Southern Lebanon, the French Foreign Ministry said.

"It is clear that this deployment must take place as quickly as possible," once the force's mandate is defined, ministry spokesman Denis Simonneau said during a news briefing.

A French official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that 4,000 "seems a feasible number." Italy has agreed to send some troops, according to both the Lebanese and Israeli governments.

Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Al-Saniora said that his Cabinet has unanimously approved the UN Security-Council (UNSC) resolution 1701.

In a press statement after the Cabinet's session, Al-Saniora said the resolution is "part of the international authority, we must implement it." Earlier, Al-Saniora said the resolution will be for Lebanon's benefit.



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