SECURITY COUNCIL CONSULTATIONS ON USSCR 1559,

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 USUN NEW YORK 000968 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PTER UNSC LE IS SY SUBJECT: SECURITY COUNCIL CONSULTATIONS ON USSCR 1559, OCTOBER 27 REF: SECSTATE 110414 ¶1. (SBU) UN Special Envoy for the Secretary-General for Implementation of UNSCR 1559 Terje Roed-Larsen briefed the Security Council in consultation on October 27, 2009. The positive part of his presentation centered on the restoration of full diplomatic relations between Lebanon and Syria and the successful Lebanese parliamentary elections. However, his briefing also highlighted unfulfilled provisions of 1559, in particular the need for continued action on disarming Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias and demarcation of the Syria-Lebanon border and the threat posed by Hizballah's destabilizing activities. Council members expressed support for Lebanon's sovereignty and the establishment of full diplomatic relations between Lebanon and Syria. Most members viewed Hizballah's continued possession of arms, in violation of UNSCR 1559, as a threat to the Lebanese authorities, although the Libyan Deputy PermRep claimed that Hizballah was Lebanon's only defender during the 2006 Israeli attack. A number of Council members expressed concerns about recent incidents in southern Lebanon. Russia called for only "verified and confirmed" information about such incidents to be included in UN reports. Most members noted Israeli overflights of Lebanon and continued occupation by Israel of northern Ghajar. Several members called for upgrading the living conditions in the Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon. End summary. -------------- Larsen's Briefing -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Larsen noted partial successful implementation of UNSCR 1559, including Lebanon's holding of free and fair parliamentary elections and the establishment of full diplomatic relations between Lebanon and Syria. He outlined the challenges ahead, including disarming Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias, noting that such militias are the most important continued threat to Lebanon. He said that Hizballah maintains a substantial armed capacity and arsenal in contravention of UNSCR 1559, and that this is a direct challenge to the exercise of sovereignty by the Lebanese state. He said that the series of incidents in Southern Lebanon over the past weeks indicates that Hizballah is engaging in acts that are detrimental to Lebanon's stability, and noted that the 1701 report due in November will have more details on these, including the October 12 explosion. Larsen called on Syria and Lebanon to address the "dangerous anomaly" of their porous border. He expressed concern that violence within Palestinian refugee camps could spill over to the rest of Lebanon and called for improvements in the camps' living conditions. He noted that Israel has still not withdrawn from northern Ghajar and that diplomatic efforts to resolve the status of Shebaa Farms have yielded "no positive results." Larsen noted that the UN protests and deplores all Israeli overflights. He called on all parties to transcend sectarian interests in support of what is best for the nation of Lebanon and expressed hope about the formation of a new Lebanese government. -------------- Lebanon's sovereignty -------------- ¶3. (SBU) Council members Burkina Faso, China, France, Mexico, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and Vietnam praised Lebanese parliamentary elections. The French PermRep noted that voter turn out had been high and that the fragile stability that Lebanon has achieved thus far is "entirely reversible." The Turkish Deputy PermRep said that a Hariri government is within reach and the Chinese Deputy PermRep said that a new government should be formed by January, when Lebanon joins the Council. The Burkina Faso PermRep welcomed the "relative calm" that has developed under President Sulieman. The Mexican PermRep called the calm atmosphere in which the elections took place a "sign of the success of Lebanon's democracy." The Vietnamese PermRep called for all in Lebanon to adhere to the terms of the Doha Agreement. -------------- Lebanese-Syrian Relations -------------- ¶4. (SBU) Most council members praised the establishment of full diplomatic relations between Lebanon and Syria. Several noted specifically the need to demarcate the Syria-Lebanon border. The Austrian PermRep called for the joint border commission to resume work "as soon as possible." Japan, Russia and Turkey all noted the positive momentum that recent visits between the leaders of Syria and Saudi Arabia had for USUN NEW Y 00000968 002 OF 003 efforts to stabilize in the region. Austria, Burkina Faso, Russia, the UK, and Vietnam mentioned the outstanding issue of the Shebaa Farms. Austria called for Lebanon to confirm that Shebaa Farms is part of Syria. The Libyan Deputy PermRep said that since Lebanon and Syria have established full diplomatic relations, "any talk of continued Syrian interference in the internal affairs of Lebanon is useless lip-service." He also complained that the report did not address any Israeli violations of 1559. Larsen, in his comments at the end, drew the Libyan DPR's attention to the exact page and paragraph numbers in the report in which Israel's violations are discussed. -------------- Hizballah -------------- ¶5. (SBU) Russia and France called on Hizballah to disarm in the framework of the Lebanese National Dialogue. The Russian Deputy PermRep said that it is not appropriate to reduce the issue of disarming militias only to Hizballah, as most Palestinian factions in Lebanon are armed and "Islamic fighters find safe harbor near Palestinian refugee camps." Austria said that "the existence of arms (outside government control) is the obstacle to a permanent cease-fire between Lebanon and Israel." The Libyan Deputy PermRep said that Hizballah was made into a military force by circumstances, and that during the 33 days of Israeli aggression in 2006, "the Security Council did not lift a finger to stop the aggression," and Lebanon found no one to defend it other than Hizballah. He called Hizballah, "the only deterrent against Israel taking over Lebanese territory," and described Hizballah as a "political party contributing to the political life" of Lebanon. He said that "Hizballah warded off Israeli aggression and defended the entire territory of Lebanon while fighting back against the most powerful military force in the Middle East, which is supported by the most powerful force in the world." Finally, he regretted that the report focused on disarming militias, which he described as an internal matter for the sovereignty of Lebanon. Both Russia and Libya said that incidents involving Hizballah outside of Lebanon are not in the purview of UNSCR 1559 and should not be included in future reports. -------------- Incidents in the South -------------- ¶6. (SBU) Many council members noted the impact of recent security incidents in southern Lebanon on stability in Lebanon and the region. France said it is clear from the July 14 incident in Khirbat Silim and October 12 explosion in Tay Falsay that the existence of armed militias poses a threat to the civilian population of Lebanon. Austria noted that incidents in Khirbat Silim, Tay Falsay, as well as the firing of rockets at Israel on September 11, underscored the importance of keeping southern Lebanon a weapons free zone. The Croatian Deputy PermRep echoed Austrian concerns about the three incidents. Burkina Faso said the explosions and firing of rocks demonstrated the lack of progress on full implementation of UNSCR 1559. Uganda also noted concern over the incident at Tay Falsay. The Russian Deputy PermRep reiterated several times that only "verified and confirmed" information should be considered in UN reports, but praised UNIFIL efforts to investigate these incidents. Russia also noted that if the October 17 and 18 explosions in South Lebanon were indeed caused by the detonation of sensors placed by Israel, this would be "a clear violation of Lebanese sovereignty." Larsen, in his response at the end to members' questions and comments, noted that the incidents in southern Lebanon would be addressed in the 1701 consultations on November 10. -------------- Israeli over flights and Ghajar -------------- ¶6. (SBU) Austria, Burkina Faso, China, France, Japan, Mexico, Russia, the United Kingdom, and Vietnam all noted the continued Israeli presence in Ghajar in violation of the terms of UNSCR 1559. Austria called on Israel to respond to the UN proposal on resolving the situation in Ghajar. Burkina Faso, China, Croatia, France, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Uganda, and Vietnam all mentioned violations of Lebanese airspace by Israel. The Russian Deputy PermRep said that Israeli explanations about the need for overflights are "not adequate." The Libyan Deputy PermRep condemned the daily "Israeli incursions by air, land, and sea." -------------- USUN NEW Y 00000968 003 OF 003 Palestinian Refugee Camps -------------- ¶7. (SBU) Austria, Burkina Faso, Japan, Mexico, and the UK noted the need to improve conditions in the Palestinian refugee camps. The Austrian PermRep reminded members of the need to fulfill outstanding pledges for the reconstruction of the Nahr el Bared camp. The Mexican PermRep called for the dismantling of Palestinian militia bases and for increased support for UNRWA to improve the living conditions for Palestinian refugees. Rice