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



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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



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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