GUIDANCE: UNSC RESOLUTION 1701 CONSULTATIONS,

UNCLAS STATE 166087 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: UNSC LE IS PREL PBTS SUBJECT: GUIDANCE: UNSC RESOLUTION 1701 CONSULTATIONS, DECEMBER 12 ¶1. (U) USUN may draw from the points in para 2 below during UN Security Council consultations on the implementation of UNSC resolution 1701 (2006) currently scheduled for December ¶12. ¶2. Begin points. -- We welcome the Secretary-General's report and the briefing by Mr. Pedersen (and General Graziano) on the implementation of resolution 1701. -- Before I begin discussing 1701, I have to address the heinous event in Lebanon today. The United States condemns in the strongest possible terms today's brutal assassination of Lebanese Brigadier General Francois al-Hajj, an attack which claimed the lives of several people and injured numerous others. Our thoughts are with the families of all of the victims, and with the Lebanese government, Army, and people. -- This bombing is yet another vicious attack against Lebanon and its constitutional institutions. Today's attack comes at a crucial time for the future of the Lebanese people when a minority in Lebanon's opposition are blocking the holding of presidential elections. -- I would like to reiterate U.S. concern that it has not yet been possible to hold a presidential election in Lebanon, and urge the minority within the opposition in Lebanon who are blocking the election to cease their demands to link non-constitutional measures to presidential elections. -- The United States urges the Lebanese to move quickly to pave the way for the president to be elected. However, until such time as a new president takes office, the United States has full confidence in, and fully supports, the legitimate Lebanese Government in managing the affairs of the state and in the Lebanese Armed Forces in continuing to provide security. -- I wish to make six main points about the situation in Lebanon as it relates to the demands of resolution 1701. -- First, we commend UNIFIL and the troops serving in it for their efforts to carry out their mandate. We want to highlight in particular the close working relationship General Graziano and his team have established with the Lebanese Armed Forces. The expanded and improved role of the LAF is one of the success stories of the past 18 months. We also welcome the numerous patrols and checkpoints UNIFIL has established to ensure that its area of operations is free of unauthorized weapons or armed elements, particularly those along the Litani river. -- At the same time, however, we share the Secretary-General,s deep concern that &recent attacks SIPDIS against UNIFIL, and the June rocket attack against Israel, show that hostile armed elements are still present in, or still find a way into, the area of operations.8 We urge UNIFIL to continue to seek ways to innovate and adapt to meet the evolving threat. -- Second, we welcome the commitment of both Lebanon and Israel to the full implementation of resolution 1701. We urge all sides to accelerate trilateral efforts to find an early resolution to the issue of Ghajar, to address the issue of unexploded ordnance in south Lebanon, and to mark and ensure full respect for the Blue Line. In this regard, we condemn all efforts to violate Lebanon,s sovereignty. -- Third, we remain deeply concerned about illegal arms transfers across the Syrian-Lebanese border, and in particular by reports from the Prime Minister of Lebanon that the Government of Syria was complicit in these transfers. We strongly support the Secretary-General,s observation, which he has made for the fourth time since last summer's war, that Syria and Iran have a particular responsibility to ensure that the arms embargo in resolution 1701 is fully respected. -- Although the Syrian-Lebanese border can only be secured when all regional states decide to honor their commitments under resolution 1701, the recommendations of the Lebanon Independent Border Assessment Team (LIBAT) serve as a blueprint through which to increase Lebanon,s border security capacity. We are encouraged that Lebanon has made progress in implementing these recommendations and urge the Secretary-General to continue to monitor their SIPDIS implementation, if necessary by dispatching the LIBAT team to the region again. -- Fourth, we fully support the Secretary-General,s call for a process to disarm all militias in Lebanon in accordance with resolution 1559 and the Ta,if Accords. As the Secretary-General reports, Hizballah has not denied reports SIPDIS that it is constructing new facilities in the Bekaa valley, and Hizballah Secretary-General Nasrallah,s recent statements reinforce concerns that Hizballah has acquired more arms than it possessed before last year's conflict. In accordance with resolutions of this Council, Hizballah must disarm, and it must do so now. -- Fifth, we appreciate the Secretary-General's appeals for proof of life of the two abducted Israeli soldiers, Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser, and reiterate our call on Hizballah to immediately and unconditionally release them. Hizballah,s continued public refusal to immediately release the soldiers or even provide proof of life, when Israel has afforded full ICRC access to Lebanese Hizballah prisoners detained in Israel, is a clear rejection of this Council's message in resolution 1701. -- Sixth, we commend the efforts by the Secretary-General and the UN cartographer to present a provisional territorial definition of the Sheba,a Farms area. We reiterate that a permanent solution to this issue remains contingent upon the delineation of the border between Syria and Lebanon, and deplore that Syria has not lived up to the commitment President Asad made to the Secretary-General on April 24, 2007 to reactivate the Syrian-Lebanese border commission. Lastly, we emphasize that proposals to support a change in the status of the Sheba,a area must be considered in conjunction with proposals for implementing the Council,s disarmament requirements. -- In conclusion, I note that Foreign Ministers from around the world recently met in Annapolis to endorse a process that we hope will lead to a permanent Israeli-Palestinian peace. In terms of the Israeli-Lebanese relationship, we already have a blueprint for at least a long-term cease-fire and a permanent solution ) and that is resolution 1701. -- More than one year has passed since the adoption of this resolution. While much has been accomplished towards implementing the Council,s decree, much more remains to be achieved. We must all recommit ourselves to ensuring that resolution 1701 is fully implemented, including compliance with the arms embargo, release of soldiers, and progress towards disarmament. The United States stands ready to do its part towards this goal. End points. RICE