The UN Security Council has issued a presidential statement urging Syria to honor the Council's binding resolution calling for an end to the occupation of Lebanon. (I meant to post this Tuesday but I apparently got distracted)
The Council notes with concern that the requirements set out in resolution 1559 (2004) have not been met, as reported by the Secretary-General. The Council urges relevant parties to implement fully all provisions of this resolution, and welcomes the Secretary-General’s readiness to assist the parties in this regard.
The Council was apparently unmoved by a recent letter from the Permanent Representative of Lebanon to the Secretary-General, which attempts to blame Israel for the continuing presence of Syrian troops in Lebanon ("in light of the implications of Israel’s continued occupation and spoiling of opportunities for peaceful political solutions" as well as "Israel’s behaviour aimed at blowing up the region"). Uh huh.
The report finds that the most significant remaining armed group in Lebanon is Hezbollah, which the Government refers to, not as a Lebanese militia, but as a “national resistance groupâ€, with the goal of defending Lebanon from Israel and the removal of Israeli forces from Lebanese soil, namely, the Shab’a farms. Lebanon maintains that the Shab’a farms are Lebanese territory, not Syrian. In the Secretary-General’s report of 16 June 2000, however, he confirmed that Israel has fulfilled the requirements of Security Council resolutions 425 and 426 to “withdraw its forces from all Lebanese territoryâ€. The Council endorsed that conclusion on 18 June 2000 in a presidential statement. Notwithstanding the Lebanese Government’s position that the Shab’a farms area lies within Lebanon, the Government has confirmed that it would respect the Blue Line as identified by the United Nations. The Council has called on Lebanon to respect fully its line.
