UNSC CONSULTATIONS ON 1701 REPORT: MEMBER STATES

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 USUN NEW YORK 000616 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PTER KPKO UNSC SY IS LE SUBJECT: UNSC CONSULTATIONS ON 1701 REPORT: MEMBER STATES WELCOME DOHA AGREEMENT AND CALL FOR FURTHER 1701 IMPLEMENTATION ¶1. (SBU) Summary. During closed consultations on July 9, UN Under-Secretary-General (U/SYG) for Political Affairs Lynn Pascoe and Wolfgang Weisbrod-Weber, DPKO Asia and Middle East division director, briefed the Council on the June 27 SYG report on the implementation of UNSCR 1701. U/SYG Pascoe reported that serious internal violence poses a significant threat to national unity in Lebanon but that the Doha Agreement and the election of President Michel Sleiman were positive steps. Weisbrod-Weber urged continued Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) capacity-building and respect for the Blue Line. Most delegations welcomed progress on UNSCR 1701 implementation and condemned violations of the resolution, including Israeli overflights of Lebanon, Israel,s failure to provide comprehensive data on cluster munitions, and the lack of progress on the disarmament of armed groups. Delegations called for engagement by the SYG on finding a solution to Sheba,a Farms, and some called for Israeli withdrawal from northern Ghajar. France said that it was wise to delay discussion on any Council statement on UNSCR 1701 until after discussions conclude on the draft resolution on Israeli settlements. End summary. Secretariat Briefs Council on 1701 Report -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Briefing the Council at the start of consultations on July 9, U/SYG for Political Affairs Lynn Pascoe said the Doha Agreement and the election of President Michel Sleiman were important intermediate steps towards 1701 implementation, but the continuing presence of armed groups outside the control of the Lebanese state undermine the key goals of 1701 and threaten the stability of Lebanon. (Note: Transcripts of his and Weisbold-Weber,s remarks were e-mailed to IO/UNP. End Note.) Pascoe said the sectarian clashes in Tripoli on July 9 and the May events were signs of the fragility of the process and the need for disarmament -- a fundamental part of the Council,s position on Lebanon -- and enforcement of the arms embargo, a key aspect of 1701. He said the SYG and the Council must insist on full compliance with the embargo by all states, including Iran and Syria. He noted GOL efforts on border management but reported that the border between Lebanon and Syria is still porous and breaches are possible. He announced that the Lebanon Independent Border Assessment Team (LIBAT) will travel to the region July 16-31 and report back to the UNSC in August. Pascoe noted Syrian President Asad,s statements offering to normalize diplomatic relations with Lebanon after a Lebanese government is formed. He urged both Syria and Lebanon to begin the process of border demarcation. On the issue of Sheba,a Farms, he noted that the SYG is willing to intensify diplomatic efforts and will explore all possible options, including Siniora,s Seven Point Plan. He reiterated that a viable solution cannot be imposed on the parties since all the parties must agree to it. He welcomed the prisoner exchange agreement but did not go into detail about its implementation. ¶3. (SBU) Wolfgang Weisbrod-Weber, director of DPKO,s Asia and Middle East division, then briefed on aspects related specifically to UNIFIL and reiterated that both parties continue to affirm their commitment to implement UNSCR 1701. He highlighted the need to restore the capabilities of the LAF in the UNIFIL area of operations and expressed concern that many units have been deployed out of the UNIFIL area, limiting the ability of the LAF and UNIFIL to ensure that the area south of the Litani River is not used for hostile activities. Weisbrod-Weber welcomed progress on the operational integration of Lebanese naval units and UNIFIL,s Maritime Task Force. On Ghajar, he said that progress on the withdrawal of the IDF from areas on the basis of UNIFIL,s proposal was urgently needed. He called the IDF presence north of the Blue Line an ongoing violation of UNSCR 1701 and a source of tension. He said that Force Commander Graziano held preliminary discussions with the Lebanese on UNIFIL,s proposal and intends to hold discussions with Israeli representatives. Weisbold-Weber stressed that both parties have a responsibility to respect the Blue Line in its entirety and said the parties should continue to invest in visibly marking the Blue Line. He also noted daily Israeli violations of Lebanese airspace as well as Israel,s lack of cooperation in providing information on cluster munitions technical strike data. Israeli Overflights Broadly Denounced -------------- ¶4. (SBU) Nearly all delegations expressed concern about Israel,s overflights of Lebanon. While underscoring Israel,s concern with smuggling activity in southern USUN NEW Y 00000616 002 OF 003 Lebanon, the UK called overflights a breach of 1701, which undermines the GOL. Russia, France, China, Indonesia, Croatia, and Costa Rica said overflights violate Lebanese sovereignty and undermine the credibility of the LAF and hinder UNIFIL,s ability to carry out its mandate. South Africa and Belgium said that Israeli violations of Lebanon,s air space heighten tensions, increase the risk of confrontation, and must be stopped. Libya, in denouncing overflights, criticized the SYG for not calling such violations &flagrant8 as he had with the presence of armed elements in the UNIFIL area. Burkina Faso and Vietnam made only passing references to overflights along with a list of other violations. Many Delegations Call on Israel to Provide Cluster Munitions Data -------------- ¶5. (SBU) France, China, Russia, South Africa, Burkina Faso, Libya, Vietnam, and Indonesia called on Israel to satisfy the SYG,s request for detailed strike data of cluster bombs and other munitions. Amb Khalilzad called on all sides to cooperate with the SYG to resolve outstanding issues, including the location of cluster bomb munitions in southern Lebanon. Ghajar: Calls for Israeli Withdrawal -------------- ¶6. (SBU) Many delegations, including France and Indonesia, addressed the issue of Ghajar and called on Israel to withdraw from that part of the village north of the Blue Line. Russia called on UNIFIL to play an important role in ending the Israeli occupation. The UK described UNIFIL,s Ghajar proposal as potentially confidence-building. Italy called on both parties to let the SYG know their views on the UNIFIL proposal as it could be a model for other contested areas. Libya denounced &Israeli occupation of Sheba,a8 and Ghajar, calling both flagrant violations of 1701 and noting that their non-resolution prevented GOL implementation of the Seven Point Plan. Amb Khalilzad raised Ghajar as an outstanding issue, calling all sides to cooperate with the SYG. Sheba,a Farms: Questions About Proper Approach -------------- - ¶7. (SBU) The issue of Sheba,a Farms was mentioned by several delegations, including France, Vietnam, and Belgium. Most supported the work of the SYG to find a diplomatic solution. The UK welcomed the SYG,s decision to push for progress on the Sheba,a Farms. Russia said that no solution will be effective without the withdrawal of Israeli military infrastructure from the area. Italy noted the importance of the UN cartographer,s report, while Croatia argued that progress on the issue could not be separated from the principles of 1701. South Africa urged the &prioritization8 of the Sheba,a Farms and reiterated that the problem is not with Syria or Lebanon since they have &long agreed that Sheba,a is a part of Lebanon.8 Rather, the problem is with Israel,s refusal to withdraw from Lebanese territory. Costa Rica noted that every four months Sheba,a Farms is raised in the same tones but not resolved and that the causes of the conflict must be treated. Libya called on the SYG to intensify his efforts. Amb Khalilzad took note of the SYG,s intention to strengthen the diplomatic process to deal with Sheba,a Farms in the context of full implementation of 1701. He also welcomed Siniora,s April 2 letter on Sheba,a, which cited UN cartographer,s work on geographic definition of Sheba,a as a good basis for discussion. Delegations Note Lack of Progress on Disarmament -------------- --- ¶8. (SBU) Many delegations noted the lack of progress on the disarmament of armed groups in Lebanon, but different views were expressed as to how to address the issue. France, Burkina Faso, and Italy addressed the issue more generally, highlighting the threat of armed groups to Lebanon,s stability and stressing the importance of disarmament. Libya, Russia, and Indonesia reiterated that disarmament must be dealt with through a Lebanese political process without foreign interference. Belgium called for enhancing the ability of the LAF to take control and called the hindrance of UNIFIL movements unacceptable. China said that the targeting of UNIFIL forces should attract the Council,s attention. Costa Rica noted that the clashes in May demonstrated the capacity of Hizballah to deploy advanced USUN NEW Y 00000616 003 OF 003 weaponry in the streets. Russia expressed skepticism about reports of illegal arms transfers into south Lebanon since the conclusion of the July 2006 war. Amb Khalilzad, supported by Croatia, expressed concern about illegal arms transfers and called for the disarmament of all militias in accordance with UNSCRs 1559 and 1701. He also called on UNIFIL to do their utmost to ensure 1701 is respected. LIBAT and Border Demarcation -------------- ¶9. (SBU) Amb Khalilzad called for the normalization of Lebanese-Syrian relations, especially the reciprocal establishment of embassies and border delineation. He said that full border delineation remains the only permanent solution to the Sheba,a Farms issue. Russia welcomed President Asad,s stated willingness to normalize Syrian-Lebanese diplomatic relations and called on Syrian authorities to take action to ensure border control. Russia, France, and Belgium also expressed support for the mission to assess the implementation of LIBAT recommendations. China and Indonesia welcomed UNIFIL efforts to visibly mark the Blue Line. Khalilzad