SECURITY COUNCIL ADOPTS RESOLUTION 1757 ON LEBANON

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 000440 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PTER UNSC SY LE SUBJECT: SECURITY COUNCIL ADOPTS RESOLUTION 1757 ON LEBANON TRIBUNAL ¶1. (U) THE UN SECURITY COUNCIL VOTED 10-0-5 ON MAY 30 TO ADOPT RESOLUTION 1757, WHICH DECIDES UNDER THE COUNCIL'S CHAPTER VII AUTHORITY TO BRING INTO EFFECT THE SPECIAL PAGE 02 RUCNDTA0440 UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 000440 TRIBUNAL FOR LEBANON. RUSSIA, CHINA, QATAR, SOUTH AFRICA, AND INDONESIA ABSTAINED FROM VOTING. THE U.S., FRANCE, UK, BELGIUM, SLOVAKIA, AND ITALY CO-SPONSORED THE RESOLUTION AND CONGO, GHANA, PERU, AND PANAMA ALSO VOTED IN FAVOR. DURING THE MEETING, CO-SPONSOR PERMREPS JOINED AMBASSADOR KHALILZAD IN WELCOMING THE ADOPTION OF THE RESOLUTION AS A MEANS TO PREVENT IMPUNITY FOR POLITICAL ASSASSINATIONS AND DETER FUTURE VIOLENCE IN LEBANON. THOSE DELEGATIONS THAT ABSTAINED REAFFIRMED SUPPORT FOR THE PURSUIT OF JUSTICE IN THE ASSASSINATION OF FORMER LEBANESE PRIME MINISTER RAFIQ HARIRI, BUT OBJECTED TO THE USE OF CHAPTER VII IN RESOLUTION 1757 AND TO THE "INTERFERENCE" OF THE COUNCIL IN LEBANON'S INTERNAL PARLIAMENTARY RATIFICATION PROCESS. ALTHOUGH PERU VOTED IN FAVOR OF THE RESOLUTION, THE PERUVIAN PERMREP CAUTIONED THAT BRINGING THE BILATERAL AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE UN AND THE GOL INTO EFFECT "SHOULD NOT CONSTITUTE A PRECEDENT BEYOND THIS PARTICULAR CASE." ACTING LEBANESE FOREIGN MINISTER TARIQ MITRI THANKED THOSE DELEGATIONS THAT SUPPORTED RESOLUTION 1757 AS WELL AS THOSE THAT ABSTAINED FOR ALLOWING THE TRIBUNAL TO BECOME A REALITY. HE URGED THE LEBANESE PEOPLE PAGE 03 RUCNDTA0440 UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 000440 TO SEIZE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE TRIBUNAL AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO ACHIEVE NATIONAL RECONCILIATION. ¶2. (U) THE FULL TRANSCRIPT OF THE MAY 30 SECURITY COUNCIL MEETING ON THE ADOPTION OF RESOLUTION 1757 CAN BE FOUND ON THE UN WEBSITE BY FOLLOWING LINKS FOR PEACE & SECURITY, THE SECURITY COUNCIL, AND MEETINGS. THE DIRECT LINK FOR THE PDF TRANSCRIPT OF THE MEETING IS KHALILZAD