June 26, 2000
U.N. peacekeepers on Monday cited six violations by Israel along the newly drawn border with Lebanon, prompting the Security Council to call on all parties to end infractions quickly.
At issue is a new U.N.-drawn line, based on 1923 borders, that U.N. cartographers marked to verify that Israel had complied with 1978 resolutions and had fully withdrawn its troops from southern Lebanon. Israel announced its withdrawal on May 24 and U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan on June 16 verified that it had done so. But Lebanon has complained that border violations continued and Monday's report seem to bolster this view.
``We all agreed in the Security Council that these violations should be corrected as soon as possible,'' French Ambassador Jean-David Levitte, this month's council president, told reporters. ``But most of them are very limited violations.''
In its first report since the verification, the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) listed seven complaints against Israel, one of which it deemed invalid. Among the other six complaints by UNIFIL, four involved short sections of road or tracks that went into Lebanese territory but could be used by Israeli patrols. But one complaint concerned soldiers in trenches on Lebanese territory with a tent on the Israeli side. Another said there were Israeli machine-gun posts and some observation equipment left on Lebanese soil, according to the report obtained by Reuters.
In some cases UNIFIL said it was still investigating. In others it said the Israel Defense Force had been asked to construct alternative routes to its sites.
The council in its statement said Annan was working to end ''the ongoing violations'' on the withdrawal line as reported by UNIFIL and called ``upon the parties to respect the line.''
Barak Said Serious, Army Sometimes Less So
The Security Council also held its first-ever video conference meeting with U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who reported from Geneva on his recent seven-nation trip to the Middle East, including stops in Lebanon, Israel and Syria.
Annan, diplomats said, told the council that Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak was serious in attempting to solve all remaining problems since Israel withdrew from Lebanon after 22 years. Israel had occupied part of southern Lebanon to ward off guerrilla attacks. But Barak was not sure all lower-ranking army personnel shared the same convictions, Annan was reported as saying.
The secretary-general said he had suggested to Barak during his recent visit to Israel that a high-ranking officer be assigned to make sure local commanders do not cross the new so-called blue line, the diplomats reported.
Now that Israeli troops are out of the country, Lebanon is supposed to move its army into the area evacuated by Israel, paving the way for a redeployment of UNIFIL to the border region, controlled mainly by Hizbollah guerrillas.
The Security Council's statement said Annan intended to appoint a senior representative in Beirut to deal with issues in southern Lebanon. No name was given.
``We are waiting for a green light from the government of Lebanon because they want to be sure there are no violations of the blue line before they agree to the redeployment of UNIFIL in the south,'' Levitte said. ``So really, it is a matter of hours or days, I hope,'' Levitte, whose country is sending troops, told reporters.
A senior U.N. official briefing reporters on Annan's trip said the secretary-general ``signaled'' his interest in pursuing all tracks of the Middle East peace process, including Syria as well as the Palestinians. ``It is evident that the Syrians would like the Syrian track to resume on acceptable terms,'' he said, speaking on condition of anonymity. ``Our role is to support the existing process and to do whatever facilitation we can.''
