BEIRUT, Lebanon - Israeli warplanes roared over Lebanon's northern Mediterranean coast and along its border with
Syria on Monday, after the Lebanese defense minister warned rogue Palestinian rocket teams against attacking
Israel and provoking retaliation that could unravel an already shaky cease-fire.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060821/ap_on_re_mi_ea/lebanon_israel_1233
:jammer:
TEXT: UN cease-fire resolution on conflict in Lebanon
By Reuters
Following is the text of the operative provisions of a draft resolution circulated to members of the UN Security Council on Friday. The preambular provisions have been omitted for reasons of length.
THE SECURITY COUNCIL, ...
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 (The UN Interim Force in Lebanon) as authorized 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. Emphasizes 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 (separating Israel and Lebanon);
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 harbors, 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 cease-fire 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 authorized 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 (Kofi Annan) 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 Shaba Farms area, and to present to the Security Council those proposals within thirty 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 utilized 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 authorized 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 authorized by the government of Lebanon or by UNIFIL as authorized 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 cease-fire 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.
Misscien moet Libanon die tekst van resolutie 1702 maar beter lezen. Dat ging de vorige keer ook al verkeerd doordat zij het accent op de verkeerde regels had geplaatst.
By Ilene R. Prusher, Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor
Mon Aug 21, 4:00 AM ET
JERUSALEM - Israel's weekend raid on a Hizbullah base in eastern Lebanon, rattling the week-old cease-fire, raises serious questions over whether the two sides will exercise the restraint needed for the truce to last.
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There is widespread concern here that the UN resolution that quieted the heavy guns last Monday, after 34 days of fighting, is an agreement that's good on paper but unrealistic in the field. Many say the cease-fire does not represent an end – only an end to "Round 1."
As if to drive home the point, Israeli army Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Dan Halutz, under fire for his management of the war, told government ministers here Sunday that it didn't end in a "knockout," but had achieved a victory "by points."
For many Israelis, it is as if the war continues but in a lower gear – at least for now.
"I don't consider the cease-fire truly active," says Unit Commander Roy Timor Rousso, a reserve officer who spoke near the Israeli-Lebanese border last week after returning from the front. "I mean, the orders are clear – we can't open fire. But in our mind-set, this is the most dangerous time, because this is the time when they'll try to take advantage of the calm and rearm."
Lebanese officials, as well as the United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, say that an Israeli commando raid that began late Friday was a violation of the tenuous truce initiated a week ago.
"The secretary-general is deeply concerned about a violation by the Israeli side of the cessation of hostilities as laid out in Security Council Resolution 1701," a spokesman for Mr. Annan said in a statement.
But Terje Roed-Larsen, a senior UN envoy in Beirut, said that if Hizbullah was found to have smuggled weapons, it would be a violation of the deal, Reuters reported.
Israel argues that it was explicitly acting to stop Hizbullah from replenishing its diminished weapons supply by smuggling arms from Syria into Lebanon.
"We need to thwart any attempt to pass weapons from Syria to Hizbullah. Any such activity needs a counter measure," Trade and Industry Minister Eli Yishai told reporters before a weekly cabinet meeting here Sunday.
"There is no violation of the agreement," he said. "It is the Lebanese who are to be blamed for allowing the weapons transfer. We must not turn a blind eye when ammunition from Iran and Syria is being transferred. The one responsible is [Prime Minister Fouad] Siniora. We should give him an ultimatum – either he stops the weapons transfer or we target his infrastructure."
p>Part of the difficulty with transforming the cease-fire into something more substantial is the scarcity of specifics on how to implement the deal, and the relative sluggishness of putting a buffer force into play.
As part of the deal, 15,000 international peacekeeping troops are supposed to be deployed in south Lebanon. Along with the Lebanese Army troops, being sent throughout what has essentially become the Hizbullah heartland, these are supposed to amount to 30,000 troops. But so far, only some 50 French Army engineers have arrived and another 150 are on their way. It now looks unlikely that France will take the lead on the buffer force as Israel and US officials had hoped.
Mark Heller, an expert in strategic studies at Tel Aviv University, says that Israel is skeptical of the agreement because it doesn't see any international moves to bring its promises to fruition.
"Nobody takes this deal seriously. If [Security Council Resolution] 1701 were to be implemented, there wouldn't be a problem with Hizbullah anymore. Most people assume it's just lip service, designed to get Israel to stop fighting, or to let the Israeli government save face, so they can say they've achieved something from the war," says Dr. Heller.
He outlined the shortcomings that Israel sees in the cease-fire deal, representing the minimum Israelis would have expected as a sign of a meaningful end to the war.
"There's no closure to arms trade over the Syrian-Lebanese border. There's no disarmament south of the Litani River. There's no sign of the kidnapped soldiers coming back," he says. "The Europeans talk about wanting to restore peace and stability and security, but everyone is fooling themselves: There is no peacekeeping to be done here because there is no peace to keep."
Keeping arms from Hizbullah
Israel went to war in Lebanon shortly after a Hizbullah raid in Israeli territory on July 12, when the Iranian-backed militia captured two Israeli soldiers and killed eight. Reuters reports that Israeli commanders say nearly 500 Hizbullah fighters were killed in the fighting, but the guerrilla group's leadership remains intact and its support in Lebanon and beyond appears undiminished. In all, at least 1,183 Lebanese and 157 Israelis have been killed in the conflict, which came to a halt last week after intense international efforts to secure a cease-fire.
As part of the agreement, Israel maintains the right of self-defense. But its own definition of what encompasses self-defense differs from how Lebanese and international officials see it.
Military officials say they have been presented with two somewhat contradictory goals: preserve the cease-fire, but keep Hizbullah from receiving fresh arms from abroad.
UN Resolution 1701 says there should be "no sales or supply of arms and related materiel to Lebanon except as authorized by its government," but it does not provide for enforcement of that tenet.
"Resolutions themselves don't have teeth," Heller says. "Teeth are in the expection that someone will abide by or enforce the agreement."
Israelis also say they don't believe that other countries' troops will engage in the perilous task of either disarming Hizbullah or preventing its operatives from attacking Israel.
Israel also says it does not want the force to include soldiers from Muslim countries that don't have relations with the Jewish state. The multinational makeup of the force-to-be is still being negotiated in New York.
"It's not surprising that countries are not willing to put their soldiers' lives on the line if their own vital interests are not at stake," Heller says. "If they send someone, whoever they are, Hizbullah is almost certain to resist."
_h4T3D_sE7eN
22-08-06, 00:59
Geplaatst door Spoetnik
Lebanon's northern Mediterranean
Geplaatst door ronald
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;
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;
8. Calls for Israel and Lebanon to support a permanent cease-fire and a long-term solution based on the following principles and elements:
* full respect for the Blue Line by both parties,
* no foreign forces in Lebanon without the consent of its government
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
Zo kenne we nog wel ff doorgaan ... :moe: