SECURITY COUNCIL EXTENDS MANDATE OF UN FORCE IN SOUTHERN LEBANON

The Security Council today extended the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) for an extra year as it commended its role, in concert with the national armed forces, in creating a new strategic environment in the south of the country.

In resolution 1884, the Council welcomed "the expansion of coordinated activities between UNIFIL and the Lebanese armed forces and encourages further enhancement of this cooperation."

The 15-member reiterated its call on all concerned parties to respect the cessation of hostilities between Israel and Hizbollah following their 2006 war, as well as the entirety of the Blue Line along their border.

UNIFIL, established in 1978, is tasked with ensuring that the area between the Blue Line and the Litani River is free of unauthorized weapons, personnel and assets, and it also cooperates with the Lebanese armed forces so they can fulfil their security responsibilities.

Today's resolution also welcomed UNIFIL's moves to implement Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's zero-tolerance policy on sexual exploitation and abuse.

Addressing reporters, Philip John Parham, Deputy Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom, which holds the rotating Council presidency this month, said that unanimous adoption of the resolution extending the Force's mandate "demonstrates the Council's clear and strong support for the very valuable work UNIFIL is doing."
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UN FORCE COMMANDER BRIEFS PRIME MINISTER-DESIGNATE ON SOUTHERN LEBANON

The head of the United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon and Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri today discussed the security situation in the country's south, and developments relating to the Security Council resolution that helped to end the 2006 war between Israel and Hizbollah.

"I informed the Prime Minister-designate that we consider the security situation in south Lebanon as generally quiet and the parties reiterated their commitment to resolution 1701 and to upholding the cessation of hostilities," Force Commander Major-General Claudio Graziano said in a statement following the meeting.

Resolution 1701 calls for, among other things, renewed respect for the Blue Line separating the Lebanese forces and Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), the disarming of militias and an end to arms smuggling.

Among the tasks entrusted to the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) is monitoring the cessation of hostilities; accompanying and supporting the Lebanese Armed Forces as they deploy throughout the south; and extending assistance to help ensure humanitarian access to civilian populations and the voluntary and safe return of displaced persons.

"I stressed to Mr. Hariri the importance of the good cooperation we have with the Lebanese Armed Forces and the necessity of continued support of the Government of Lebanon for our joint endeavour towards implementation of resolution 1701," said Maj.-Gen. Graziano.

Following his meeting with Mr. Hariri last week, the top UN envoy for Lebanon said he hopes that the country's new Government, when formed, will renew its commitment to, and fully carry out, resolution 1701.

Michael Williams, the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, noted areas of progress in this regard, including the ongoing process of demarcating the Blue Line and last year's exchange of prisoners and remains between Hizbollah and Israel. But he added that the overall objectives of resolution 1701 – a permanent ceasefire and lasting solution – are yet to be achieved.

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TOP UN ENVOY URGES RESTRAINT AFTER RECENT INCIDENTS IN SOUTHERN LEBANON

A top United Nations official has called for restraint following recent incidents in southern Lebanon, including the wounding of several of the world body's peacekeepers during an investigation into an explosion at an arms cache last week.

Fourteen soldiers serving with the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) were reportedly injured, and some UN vehicles damaged, on Saturday when protesters tried to stop the investigation in the area of Khirbat Silim.

"We really need now to lower the temperature, to try and address the issues and not see any escalation which would be bad for 1701 and for Lebanon," Michael Williams, the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, said following his meeting yesterday with Prime Minister Fuad Siniora.

Security Council resolution 1701, which helped to end the 2006 war between Israel and Hizbollah, called for renewed respect for the Blue Line separating the Lebanese forces and Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), the disarming of militias and an end to arms smuggling, among other elements.

Last week UN spokesperson Marie Okabe told reporters that the incident of the explosions constitutes a serious violation of resolution 1701, notably with regards to the provision that there should be no presence of unauthorized assets or weapons in the area of operation between the Litani River and the Blue Line.

"Clearly there were violations of 1701," said Mr. Williams, who discussed the incidents in a series of meetings over the past two days with senior Lebanese officials. In addition to Mr. Siniora, he also met with Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri, and with Assembly Speaker Nabih Berri.

After his meeting with Mr. Hariri, the Special Coordinator stated, "Any resolution from time to time faces many tests and challenges. There have been some testing incidents in recent days.

"I take this opportunity to call on all parties to renew their commitment and to exercise the utmost restraint."

Mr. Williams also called again on Israel to put an end to its air violations of the Blue Line, which he said Lebanon is subject to "on a daily basis."
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MORE PROGRESS NEEDED ON KEY ISSUES BETWEEN LEBANON AND NEIGHBOURS – UN ENVOY

The formation of new Governments in Lebanon and Israel bodes well for the implementation of the Security Council resolution that helped to end their 2006 war, a senior United Nations envoy said today, while lamenting the lack of progress on several key outstanding issues.

"Unfortunately, there remain many areas of 1701 where there has been little progress," Michael Williams, the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, told reporters after briefing the Council on the Secretary-General's latest report on the resolution's implementation.

Resolution 1701 called for, among other matters, renewed respect for the Blue Line separating the Lebanese forces and Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), the disarming of militias and an end to arms smuggling.

Mr. Williams noted that, despite repeated criticism by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Israeli air violations of the Blue Line continue "unabated and on a daily basis."

In addition, no date has been set for a withdrawal of the IDF from the northern part of the village of Ghajar, as required under resolution 1701.

As noted by Mr. Ban in his report, the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) submitted a proposal one year ago to facilitate the full withdrawal of the IDF. The Lebanese Government said last August that it was ready to accept the proposal. While Israeli officials reaffirmed their commitment to resolving the issue, they said they were not in a position to provide a definitive response since the new Government was undertaking a comprehensive policy review.

The Special Coordinator said the issue of Israel's withdrawal from Ghajar is going to be one of the main areas of work in the coming months. "We believe now with a new Government in Israel, the formation of a new Government in Lebanon, the hard work of UNIFIL, that the atmosphere may be more propitious to a settlement."

He added that he believed the Ghajar issue "is far more achievable in the short run" than that of the Shab'a Farms area, which Lebanon and Syria have yet to resolve. The establishment of full diplomatic relations between the two neighbours over the past year, he noted, provides a "sound basis" on which to tackle their border issues.

"We believe that with the successful implementation of diplomatic relations between Lebanon and Syria, and other positive developments in the relations between the two countries… that the next step to be taken will be the delineation of the common border between the two countries."

Mr. Williams said a "deeply disturbing" development in recent months was the uncovering of alleged Israeli spy networks in many parts of Lebanon.

"If these allegations are confirmed in court, this would constitute a very serious violation of Lebanon's sovereignty and, consequently, undermine relevant Security Council resolutions," he stated.

As for allegations that UNIFIL was facilitating the passage of individuals involved in the spy rings across the Blue Line, Mr. Williams described them as "without foundation."

Despite these developments, he said he believed that, "three years after the 2006 war, with the renewal of a democratic mandate for the new Government of Lebanon that Prime Minister Saad Hariri is trying to form, there is a sound basis in the coming months for proceeding with the further implementation of 1701."
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UN PEACEKEEPING CHIEF ‘IMPRESSED’ WITH WORK OF BLUE HELMETS IN MIDDLE EAST

UN PEACEKEEPING CHIEF 'IMPRESSED' WITH WORK OF BLUE HELMETS IN MIDDLE EAST
New York, May 20 2009 7:00PM
The head of United Nations peacekeeping today praised the efforts of blue helmets in the Middle East who, along with their peers in volatile regions such as eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Darfur, face huge challenges.

Speaking to reporters at UN Headquarters in New York, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Alain Le Roy said he "was quite impressed by the work done by the mission" in Lebanon, one of several operations he visited on a recent trip to the region.

Mr. Le Roy noted that no soldiers have been killed or wounded at the border between Lebanon and Israel since 2006, when the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (<"http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/unifil/">UNIFIL) was bolstered in the wake of the war between Israel and Hizbollah.

He also underscored the role UNIFIL played during the recent Gaza crisis as a deterrent from opening up another front for hostilities.

"The civilian population is extremely pleased by the presence of UNIFIL," said Mr. Le Roy, adding that Government officials in Israel and Lebanon had expressed appreciation for the mission.

The Under-Secretary-General noted that a few days after his visit, Israel handed over data and maps to the UN on the cluster munitions it fired over southern Lebanon during the 2006 conflict.

Voicing hope that ongoing talks will lead to a quick end to the dispute over Ghajar, a village that straddles the so-called Blue Line separating Lebanon and Israel, he said that he continued to apply pressure on Israel to withdraw from the north of the dividing line.

In a related development, UNFIL reported that it has been informed by the Lebanese authorities of a number of Lebanese citizens who crossed the Blue Line into Israel, UN spokesperson Marie Okabe told reporters in New York.

She noted that UNIFIL is in the process of ascertaining all the facts concerning this issue, adding that "any illegal crossing would constitute a violation of the Blue Line and a violation of Security Council resolution 1701," the resolution that ended the 2006 war.

Mr. Le Roy also spotlighted the UN Disengagement Observer Force (<"http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/undof/">UNDOF), which was established by the Security Council in 1974 following the cessation of hostilities between Israeli and Syrian armed forces on the Golan Heights.

UNDOF is a "very small mission but it's an example of a traditional peacekeeping mission which still exists and is still very much appreciated. I saw with my own eyes another mission which is clearly making a difference," he said.
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ISRAEL HANDS OVER CLUSTER BOMB MAPS TO UN FORCE IN LEBANON

ISRAEL HANDS OVER CLUSTER BOMB MAPS TO UN FORCE IN LEBANON
New York, May 13 2009 5:00PM
The Israeli Defence Forces have handed over to the United Nations data and maps on the cluster munitions it fired over southern Lebanon during the 2006 conflict between the two countries.

The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (<"http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/unifil/">UNIFIL) received the technical strike data and related maps yesterday, and is currently examining and assessing the information, Farhan Haq, a spokesperson for the world body, told reporters in New York.

"UNIFIL will be handing over the data to the Lebanese Armed Forces," he added.

According to the UN Mine Action Coordination Centre of South Lebanon, the area was blanketed by cluster munitions during the month-long conflict in the summer of 2006.

An estimated 40 square kilometres of land became contaminated with hundreds of thousands of unexploded cluster munitions, which have killed at least 20 people and maimed nearly 200 others so far.

Cluster munitions have been cleared from the surface of about half of South Lebanon's known contaminated land, and about 150,000 munitions have been found and destroyed.

Mr. Haq noted that the UN has in the past repeatedly called on Israel to provide the technical strike data on the number, type and location of munitions fired in the conflict to help speed up the clearance operations and prevent casualties among civilians and mine-clearance experts.
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GAZA CRISIS MOST SERIOUS TEST OF UN AGREEMENT ON ISRAEL, LEBANON

GAZA CRISIS MOST SERIOUS TEST OF UN AGREEMENT ON ISRAEL, LEBANON
New York, Mar 9 2009 9:00PM

The recent hostilities in Gaza have posed the most serious challenge since the adoption of a resolution which helped end the war between Israel and Hizbollah in the summer of 2006, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a new report.

Rockets fired into Israel from south Lebanon and return fire led to heightened tensions along the so-called Blue Line that separates Israeli and Lebanese sides and "endangered the cessation of hostilities agreement," Mr. Ban wrote in his latest report to the Security Council on resolution 1701.

The 2006 resolution called for renewed respect for the Blue Line, the disarming of militias and an end to arms smuggling, among other measures.

"The firing of rockets from southern Lebanon towards Israel, which I condemn in all instances, constituted a serious violation" of the resolution, he said. The attacks were launched from sites close to populated areas, including a school in session at the time, "putting innocent civilians at risk."

The Secretary-General added that "the fact that the Israel Defense Forces returned fire with artillery shells into Lebanese territory on 8 and 14 January without providing prior warning to the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) is also a cause for serious concern," noting that these acts endangered civilians, as well as UN blue helmets and soldiers of the Lebanese Armed Forces.

"At the same time, I was encouraged by the measures that were taken by all parties to avoid an escalation," he wrote, with the resolution's mechanisms having served as an "effective deterrent and prevented an escalation of the situation in southern Lebanon."

But he cautioned that these incidents "also highlight the precarious nature of the current cessation of hostilities and the necessity for both parties to take further steps to address a number of unresolved issues," including disarming militant groups.

Mr. Ban said that he is pleased that the parties have made strides to visibly mark the Blue Line, encouraging Lebanon and Israel to stay the course and build on existing momentum to curb inadvertent violations and boost confidence.

He reiterated his call on Israel to immediately end all over-flights of Lebanese territory which violate Lebanon's sovereignty and resolution 1701.

The report also called on all Lebanese leaders to exercise restraint ahead of the 7 June parliamentary elections, which "will bring added challenges that may test the country's frail domestic stability."

The Security Council will be briefed on the report by Michael Williams, the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, in a closed meeting tomorrow.
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UN BLUE HELMETS INVESTIGATE SHOTS FIRED INTO LEBANON FROM ISRAELI SIDE OF DIVIDING LINE

UN BLUE HELMETS INVESTIGATE SHOTS FIRED INTO LEBANON FROM ISRAELI SIDE OF DIVIDING LINE
New York, Mar 3 2009 5:00PM

Shots were fired today into Lebanese territory from the Israeli side of the Line of Withdrawal in contravention of the United Nations resolution that helped end fighting between the countries two years ago, the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) reports.

A team of UNIFIL blue helmets investigating the circumstances of the incident said that at least two of the 15 shots hit a wall 50 metres over the line separating Israeli and Lebanese forces in the area of El Adeisse.

The UNIFIL Force Commander, Major General Claudio Graziano, has been in contact with the Senior Commanders of the Lebanese Armed Forces and the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) on the matter, the Mission said.

There were no reported injuries, but a UN spokesperson told correspondents in New York that "This is a serious incident and a violation of Security Council resolution 1701," adding that UNIFIL has protested to the IDF.
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BELGIUM TAKES HELM OF COAST FLOTILLA FOR UN FORCE IN LEBANON

BELGIUM TAKES HELM OF COAST FLOTILLA FOR UN FORCE IN LEBANON
New York, Mar 2 2009 7:00PM

Belgium today took command of United Nations peacekeeping's first-ever maritime task force (MTF), which was deployed off the coast of Lebanon in 2006 to curtail arms smuggling following that year's war between Israel and Hizbollah.

At the handover ceremony, held on the flagship FS De Grass in the Port of Beirut, Major-General Claudio Graziano, Force Commander of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), noted the progressive enhancement of operational cooperation between the MTF and the Lebanese Navy.

"In the process, UNIFIL's MTF and the Lebanese Navy have developed a constructive, professional relationship which is vital to the successful implementation of our mandate," he added.

Since the start of its operations, the MTF, which for the past year was headed by the European Maritime Force (EUROMARFOR), has hailed more than 22,000 ships and referred 240 suspicious vessels to the Lebanese authorities for further inspection.

So far 12 countries have contributed naval units to the MTF: Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and Turkey.
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