DEMARCHE: ENSURING 1701 REPORT DOES NOT INCLUDE

S E C R E T STATE 145166 SIPDIS NOFORN SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/12/2017 TAGS: UNSC LE SY IS PREL PBTS SUBJECT: DEMARCHE: ENSURING 1701 REPORT DOES NOT INCLUDE PROBLEMATIC LANGUAGE ON SHEBA'A FARMS REF: STATE 130669 Classified By: Assistant Secretary Kristen Silverberg, for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (U) This is an action request, see para 2. ¶2. (S//NF) Per Reftel, Department remains concerned that the upcoming 1701 report (scheduled for release on October 29) might contain conclusions about the sovereignty of Sheba'a Farms and/or proposals for its transfer to UN trusteeship. Such a forward-leaning approach would go beyond what the Secretariat should appropriately do in carrying out its mandate (which is to develop a territorial definition of the area in question and present the Council with proposals for disarmament, as well as the delineation of the Lebanon border) and is likely to create false expectations in Lebanon that could negatively impact ongoing Lebanese presidential elections. Department, therefore, requests that USUN work with the Secretariat SIPDIS (see para 3) to ensure that the language on Sheba'a in the October 1701 report remains limited to the UN cartographer's findings on the territorial definition of the area and makes no conclusion about sovereignty or recommendations about transfer of jurisdiction to UN trusteeship. ¶3. (S//NF) USUN should pursue the following objectives: -- Work with the UN Secretariat to ensure that the October 1701 report does not contain conclusions about the sovereignty of the Sheba'a Farms area or proposals for transfer to UN trusteeship. -- Note that we support the inclusion of the geographer's findings on the territorial definition of the area known as Sheba'a Farms in this report. ¶4. (U) Point of Contact/Reporting Deadline: Please contact Anneliese Reinemeyer in IO/UNP at (202) 647-0046 or in the GAL. Please report the results of this demarche by cable by October 19, 2007. RICE