UN: Syrian crisis could destabilise Lebanon

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon late Tuesday warned that the "deepening crisis" in Syria has continued to affect Lebanon and increased concern that it could have negative ramifications for its stability. In his quarterly report to the Security Council on the implementation of resolution 1701 by Lebanon and Israel, Ban said that given the fragility of the situation in the current regional climate of change and uncertainty, "I am deeply concerned over the continuing crisis in Syria and its potential repercussions for Lebanon." At the same time, he commended the Lebanese Government for its efforts to date to ensure that Lebanon "is not negatively impacted by the effects of the crisis in Syria." He said the Syrian authorities have called on Beirut to take "strict measures to halt all trafficking of arms," and, in order to enforce stricter control of the border, the Syrian military has planted landmines along a stretch of the northern border where the majority of displaced Syrians seeking assistance have crossed into Lebanon. In a number of instances, he noted, shooting at or across the border has led to the death or injury of civilians on Lebanese soil, and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the High Relief Commission have currently registered more than 6,000 displaced Syrians. Ban said he was "deeply concerned by the (se) actions", and called on Damascus to refrain from any such actions and respect Lebanon's sovereignty and territorial integrity in accordance with relevant Council resolutions. On the implementation of Council resolution 1701 which put an end to the war between Lebanon and Israel in the summer of 2006, Ban said he was "concerned that the parties have not made further progress" on the implementation of their respective obligations under that resolution. He called on Israel to withdrawal from the northern part of Ghajar and the adjacent areas north of the Blue Line and to stop all violations of Lebanese airspace, and on Lebanon to make further progress towards exercising effective authority over all Lebanese territory. The maintenance of arms by Hezbollah and other groups outside the control of the state, Ban argued, impedes the assertion of the State's monopoly on the legitimate use of force, and poses a continuing threat to Lebanese sovereignty and stability. Ban said the UN takes the Israeli allegations of significant transfers of arms across the Syrian-Lebanese border to Hezbollah seriously, "but does not have the means to independently verify this information and has not been provided with concrete evidence." Moreover, he added, the Lebanese Government has not reported any breaches of the arms embargo imposed under resolution 1701. In a related matter, the Lebanese Ambassador to the UN Nawaf Salam had sent a letter to Ban detailing Israel's violations regarding his country's sovereignty, and asked the international community to help boost the Lebanese army with weapons and technology to enable it to defend the country and its people. Salam revealed in his letter that the Lebanese army is currently preparing with the UN Peacekeeping force in South Lebanon (UNIFIL), in the context of their strategic dialogue, a project determining the military needs that will enable Lebanon to regain its responsibilities gradually from UNIFIL.