SECRETARIAT DELIVERS TOUGH UNSCR 1701/LIBAT

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 USUN NEW YORK 000601

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E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/23/2017
TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER UNSC KPKO IS SY LE
SUBJECT: SECRETARIAT DELIVERS TOUGH UNSCR 1701/LIBAT
REPORTS, BUT COUNCIL IS DIVIDED

Classified By: Ambassador Zalmay M. Khalilzad, per 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) Summary. During closed consultations on the SYG,s
latest UNSCR 1701 report as well as the report of the Lebanon
Independent Border Assessment Team (LIBAT) on July 18, UNSCO
Michael Williams spoke at length about the need for greater
progress on the issue of prisoners, compliance with the arms
embargo, and the Sheba,a Farms issue. Williams called the
LIBAT report a "rigorous assessment" of the situation at the
border, and emphasized that the lack of border security and
arms transfers threaten regional stability. Emphasizing that
Syria and Lebanon must delineate their border to reach a
permanent solution to the Sheba,a issue, Williams decried
Syria,s failure to reactivate its joint border committee
with Lebanon. He welcomed Israel,s willingness to host the
UN cartographer and called on Syria to supply its maps of the
area. He also urged Israel to cease its overflights of
Lebanon and to provide the UN with detailed data on the use
of cluster munitions in south Lebanon. Briefing after
Williams, DPKO U/SYG Guehenno noted that the perpetrators of
recent attacks against UNIFIL had still not been identified.
Nevertheless, UNIFIL had redoubled its efforts to implement
its mandate, particularly in terms of cooperation with the
LAF.


2. (C) Summary, cont,d. While several delegations called
for compliance with the arms embargo in resolution 1701, only
USUN discussed the issue at length or mentioned specific
examples of non-compliance. Russia, South Africa, Qatar, and
Indonesia questioned the reports of illegal arms transfers
and urged the UNSC to react with caution. Nine member states
explicitly supported the LIBAT recommendations, while Russia,
China, South Africa, and a few others declined to do so in
full. All delegations, with the exception of the U.S.,
called for Israel to end its overflights of Lebanese
territory and to provide the SYG with detailed data on the
use of cluster bombs in south Lebanon. Only the UK joined
USUN in specifically calling on Syria and Iran to abide by
their obligations under resolution 1701. Led by Russia, a
few delegations supported Syria,s call for outside
assistance to improve its own border security capabilities.
Most delegations welcomed progress on Sheba,a, while
Indonesia and South Africa decried continuing Israeli
"occupation" of Lebanon and called for full withdrawal from
the Syrian Golan. End of Summary.

Secretariat Delivers Tough Briefing

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3. (C) UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace
Process (UNSCO) Michael Williams provided a general overview
of the main points in the latest SYG report on the
implementation of resolution 1701 and the LIBAT report.
Focusing on border security, the arms embargo, the Sheba,a
Farms issue, and the release of prisoners, he characterized
the present time as a period of heightened regional tensions
and urged the countries involved to move from a cessation of
hostilities to a long-term cease-fire and permanent solution.
Speaking at length about the fate of the tow abducted IDF
soldiers, Williams decried the "painfully slow" progress
reached thusfar and contrasted Hizballah,s refusal to
provide proof of life with the fact that Israel grants ICRC
access to Lebanese detainees. He urged member states to
encourage Hizballah to "show leadership" on this issue.


4. (C) Calling progress on the Sheba,a Farms issue
"essential" to 1701 implementation, he emphasized that Syria
and Lebanon must delineate their border to reach a permanent
solution, but expressed satisfaction that Israel would soon
allow the UN cartographer to visit Sheba,a to continue his
work. Williams added that the UN cartographer has repeatedly
asked Syria for maps related to Sheba,a, but has so far
received nothing. After member state interventions, Williams
expressed regret that Syria had not reactivated the joint
border committee with Lebanon, as President Assad promised
the SYG during their meeting on 24 April. Williams also
urged Israel to cease its overflights of Lebanon and to
provide the UN with detailed data on the use of cluster
munitions in south Lebanon.


5. (C) Turning to the issue of illegal arms transfers into
Lebanon, Williams said there were "strong indications" that
arms were being sent into Lebanon in violation of the arms
embargo established under resolution 1701. He called this
fact a "direct strategic threat to peace and security" in the
region and to stability in Israel and Lebanon, and called on
all states, in particular Syria and Iran, to fully respect
the arms embargo. Regarding the LIBAT, Williams noted that
the team concluded that current border security efforts are
insufficient to prevent smuggling of arms. He said they

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found it "incomprehensible" that the GOL had not seized a
single shipment of arms in the one year since resolution 1701
was adopted. He urged the Government of Lebanon (GOL) to
make strengthening of the Syrian/Lebanese border a priority,
but he noted Syria had an equal responsibility to prevent the
transfer of arms. Williams called other states to follow
Germany,s example by providing Lebanon with valuable
technical assistance and training on border security, and
warned that failure to help the GOL risks a breakdown in the
cessation of hostilities between Israel and Lebanon.


6. (C) Under Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Jean-Marie
Guehenno focused most of his remarks on the circumstances of
the 24 June and 16 July attacks against UNIFIL and the
force,s reaction. He emphasized that UNIFIL would not be
cowed by these attacks and had in fact redoubled its efforts
to carry out its mandate under resolution 1701. Guehenno
explained that UNIFIL was working to bolster troop protection
measures and that the UN would complete a full investigation
as to the responsibility of the attacks. The identity of the
perpetrators of the 24 June and 16 July attacks on UNIFIL
troops remain unknown. Guehenno reported that since the
attacks interaction with the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) and
the local population has increased. Work continues to
proceed on marking the Blue Line, but it has been stymied by
lack of full agreement among the parties on the working paper
UNIFIL submitted for their consideration. Guehenno joined
Williams in arguing that regional tensions would decrease if
Israel agreed to cease its overflights of Lebanon. Guehenno
said the UN Secretariat would recommend that UNIFIL,s
mandate be extended with no amendments at the end of August.

U.S. Pushes for Full 1701 Implementation
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7. (C) While welcoming progress achieved thusfar towards
implementation of resolution 1701 and condemning the attacks
against UNIFIL, Ambassador Khalilzad expressed concern that
the attacks posed a direct challenge to the new security
arrangements in south Lebanon. Expressing "grave concern"
about illegal arms transfers into Lebanon, Ambassador
Khalilzad noted reports that Hizballah is building new
facilities in the Bekaa Valley. Noting strong ties between
Syria and the PFLP-GC and Fatah-Intifada, he argued that
Syria and Iran must do their part to enforce the arms
embargo. He welcomed the LIBAT recommendations, urged the
GOL to implement them in full, and encouraged the SYG to
update the Council on this issue regularly, through follow-up
visits by the team as necessary. Reiterating the call for
the unconditional and immediate release of the two Israeli
soldiers, Ambassador Khalilzad deplored Hizballah,s failure
to even provide proof of life. He reiterated that a
permanent solution to the Sheba,a Farms issue remains
contingent on border delineation between Syria and Lebanon,
and noted that proposals to support a change to the status of
the area must be considered in conjunction with proposals to
implement the UNSC,s disarmament requirements.

Skepticism About Illegal Arms Transfers
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8. (C) The U.S. was the only delegation to mention a specific
example of an illegal arms transfer, though France noted the
letter from the GOL detailing weapons violations. The
European members (France, U.K., Belgium, Italy, Slovakia) and
the South American members (Panama and Peru) joined the U.S.
in calling for compliance with the arms embargo. Qatar,
Russia, South Africa, and Indonesia questioned the evidence
of illegal arms transfers and called for the Council to
characterize them in a "fair" and "careful" manner. Russia
called the LIBAT assessment "one-sided," and alleged there
was an arming of all militias in Lebanon, not just those
allied with Syria and Iran (Hizballah). Russia also stressed
that the decisions of the Council must be based on real
facts, not simply convictions or opinions.

Overflights and Cluster Bombs Universally Opposed
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9. (C) All delegations, except for USUN, called on Israel to
cease overflights and characterized them as violations of
resolution 1701. Qatar called the overflights "grave and
flagrant violations, regardless of their justification," and
Indonesia said they were "a violation of Lebanese
sovereignty." All delegations, except for the U.S., also
called on Israel to provide the SYG (per his request) maps
and other detailed information on the use of cluster bombs in
south Lebanon.

LIBAT Draws Support, But Not Unanimous

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10. (C) Nine members gave an explicit endorsement of the
recommendations in the LIBAT report (U.S., UK, France,
Belgium, Indonesia, Peru, Panama, Slovakia, and Italy) while
five declined to do so (South Africa, Russia, China, Qatar,
and Ghana). Most members said the GOL must develop more
capacity to address border security and that full
implementation of 1701 is necessary. Italy argued that "the
credibility of the Security Council is at stake" in ensuring
implementation of the LIBAT recommendations. Russia argued
it was up to the GOL to decide how/whether to implement them.
Russia also cautioned members that any steps to help Lebanon
must be balanced "so as to not shatter the fragile balance in
the Middle East." Only the U.K. joined the U.S. in
discussing a follow-up mechanism to LIBAT, stating that
repeat visits to the region might be necessary in the future
to judge progress. China placed the onus back on the
Secretariat, saying the SYG should move forward with

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proposals to prevent arms transfers.

Syria and Iran Escape Criticism
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11. (C) Only the British joined the U.S. in calling on both
Syria and Iran to fully implement the arms embargo. France
said Syria should "demonstrate further efforts to shoulder
its responsibility." Indonesia said "all states" have an
"equal responsibility" to enforce the arms embargo, and Italy
and Ghana welcomed the suggestion from the SYG for Lebanon
and Syria to work together on border issues. Italy noted
that its foreign minister had traveled to Damascus to urge
Assad to be a positive force for stabilization in the region.
Russia and South Africa urged a positive response to
Syria,s request for technical assistance to improve its
border security capabilities. Noting that Syria,s influence
in Lebanon is assumed, Belgium argued that the real question
is how to make Syrian influence constructive. Qatar claimed
that dialogue between Syria and Lebanon was a matter for
those sovereign states to decide.

Sheba,a Farms
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12. (C) Most members welcomed the progress of the
cartographer,s work and Israel,s willingness to allow him
to visit the disputed area. Several delegations called for
Sheba,a to come under UN jurisdiction pending determination
of its final status, as specified in the GOL,s seven-point
plan (Qatar, France, Panama). France said the Council should
not be content with the continuation of the status quo.
Indonesia repeated its position, which is close to the
official Syrian line, that a permanent solution to Sheba,a
is contingent on Israeli withdrawal from all occupied
territory "including the Syrian Golan. South Africa and
Qatar argued that the fact that Israel remains in control of
Lebanese territory has led to the attacks on UNIFIL and the
loss of agriculture and livelihood in the region. In a
reference that surprised many delegations, Qatar argued that
a resolution of the Sheba,a issue would "close the door to
any group holding arms under the pretext of disarmament."

Support for LAF and UNIFIL
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13. (C) Many delegations praised UNIFIL for its good work in
southern Lebanon, particularly noting the increase in
interaction between UNIFIL troops and LAF (U.S., UK, Italy,
Ghana, Belgium, and Indonesia). Most delegations explicitly
condemned the attacks against UNIFIL troops and urged the
Council not to be deterred from its commitment to the
mission. Italy emphasized that UNIFIL was of central
importance to the region, and the Security Council must be
sure that UNIFIL troops feel its support. The U.S. praised
the dedication and bravery of the LAF and its ability "to
overcome sectarian differences to serve the interests of the
Lebanese people." Belgium also echoed these remarks, drawing
a parallel to the key role played by the LAF and the
overwhelming condemnation by the Lebanese to the externally
motivated events intended to destabilize the country. The
Belgian PermRep added the LAF deserves the support of the
international community "because it represents the will of
all Lebanese to build a better future." Italy welcomed the
fact that LAF has not relaxed in the presence of an expanded
UNIFIL mission.
KHALILZAD