Annan Bound for Beirut

BEIRUT, Lebanon (Reuters) -- U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan will discuss the deployment and role of a planned 15,000-strong peacekeeping force for southern Lebanon when he visits Beirut on Monday for the first time since the Israel-Hezbollah war.

Other issues are likely to include the lifting of an Israeli air and sea blockade of Lebanon, policing of the Lebanese-Syrian border to stop arms smuggling and a possible prisoner swap between Israel and the Lebanese Hezbollah guerrilla group.

Annan, due to meet Prime Minister Fouad Siniora and the speaker of the Lebanese parliament Nabih Berri, was seeking full implementation of U.N. Security Council resolution 1701, a U.N. spokesman said at the weekend.

The resolution ended a 34-day war between Israel and Hezbollah on August 14 but also made a series of demands on Israel, Lebanon and the international community which have yet to be met.

It urged the reopening of Lebanon's airports and harbors, blockaded by Israel since the start of the war, and the securing of Lebanon's land borders to prevent arms smuggling.

The resolution also called for the international community to provide enough troops to allow the United Nations to boost the size of its current UNIFIL force in Lebanon from 2,000 to 15,000.

Annan discussed the European Union contribution to the expanded force with EU leaders in Brussels on Friday. He said France, which has promised 2,000 troops, would lead it until February when Italy, which has pledged 3,000, would take over.

"We should deploy, I hope, within the next few days, not the next few weeks," Annan said after the talks.

A close aide to Siniora said Annan would brief the prime minister on the Brussels talks.

"But the government will press him first to pressure Israel to end its blockade on Lebanon because it violates Security Council resolution 1701 and threatens stability in Lebanon," the aide told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Weapons

Israel says until the expanded UNIFIL force arrives to police southern Lebanon, the blockade is essential to prevent weapons reaching Hezbollah. Since the end of the war it has relaxed the blockade, allowing commercial planes to fly in and out of Beirut through Amman in Jordan.

The Jewish state wants U.N. troops to police the 375 km (233 miles) Lebanese-Syrian border to prevent the smuggling of arms to Hezbollah, but Syria has said such a move would be hostile and has threatened to close the border if it happens.

That would effectively cut Lebanon off from the outside world as the country's only other land border is with Israel, with which it has no diplomatic ties.

Resolution 1701 does not specifically call for the deployment of U.N. troops to the Lebanese-Syrian border but asks UNIFIL to assist the Lebanese government "at its request" in securing the country's borders.

Also expected to be discussed is the release of Israeli and Hezbollah prisoners, including two Israeli soldiers whose seizure by the Shi'ite Muslim group on July 12 sparked the war.

Hezbollah wants to exchange them for some of the thousands of Arab prisoners, including Lebanese, in Israeli jails.

Annan has said both sides will have to make "painful compromises" to get what they want.

Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said on Sunday contacts had been made that might eventually lead to negotiations over prisoners.

"It seems that Italy is trying to get into the subject. The United Nations is interested and the negotiations would be through Berri," Nasrallah said in a television interview.

An Israeli official said on Sunday: "There are no negotiations over the exchange of prisoners."

As well as visiting Beirut, Annan is expected to travel to southern Lebanon. He will go to Israel on Tuesday and is also due to visit Syria and Iran as part of his Middle East tour.

US warns Syria against defying UN arms embargo

The United States warned Syria against flouting a UN imposed arms embargo along the Lebanese border designed to prevent any weapons from reaching the Shiite militant group Hezbollah.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had expressed strong opposition to the deployment of United Nations troops to enforce the embargo along his country's border with Lebanon, saying such a move would be "hostile" to Syria and create problems between the two nations.

Damascus has also threatened to close its border with Lebanon if UN peacekeepers were deployed there under a UN Security Council resolution that led to the August 14 ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah after a 34-day conflict.

"Syrian suggestion that (UN) forces assisting the government of Lebanon to secure its borders would somehow be a hostile act or threat to Syria is preposterous," State Department spokesman Gonzo Gallegos told reporters.

It is matter of international law under the UN Security Council resolution that all countries must obey the arms embargo, he said.

"It is a singular duty for Syria as the one country, apart from Israel, that borders Lebanon to do so," he said.

"We call on the Syrian regime to fulfill its international obligations and respect and abide by UN Security Council resolutions that reflect the unanimous consensus of the international community," Gallegos said.

UN Security Council Resolution 1701 calls on Lebanon "to secure its borders and other entry points to prevent the entry in Lebanon without its consent of arms," and Lebanese troops have reportedly deployed along the Syrian border in the north and east of the country.

Washington and Israel accuse Syria of acting as a transit point for shipments of arms and other supplies from Iran to Hezbollah.

Iran and Syria deny the claim.

source:  Agence France Presse .

Hezbollah has few fans among bitter Christians

WISSAM ANDRUOUS'S family home lies in ruins after the war between Israel and Lebanon's Shiite Muslim militia, Hezbollah.

Plastic sheeting flaps over a hole where a bomb ripped the side of the house in the Christian village of Ain Ibl in southern Lebanon. Only the mattress springs remain of a charred room where three of his younger brothers used to sleep.

"We are Christians. We did not not belong to any party," said Mr Andruous, 31, a video technician and father of two, whose younger brother, Rany, 21, is studying in Sydney. "What if we rebuild this house and they make war again? How can I live with my children here?" he said.

While Hezbollah has claimed victory - propaganda posters across southern Lebanon declare: "Our Blood Has Won" - it is no triumph for many who have lost their livelihood and property in the violence. Although many Shiite Muslims support Hezbollah, members of other communities caught in the crossfire of this war do not.

"How can it be a victory when most of [southern Lebanon] has been destroyed?" asked Elias Hasrouni, a Maronite Christian, who manages the local electricity company. "There's no work, many people left, many people died, the houses were damaged. Is this a victory?"

Ain Ibl is next to the flattened village of Bint Jbeil, where there was heavy fighting between Hezbollah and Israel.

Imad Khoury, 38, the head of the local council, said the town is surrounded by Hezbollah missile batteries.

Hezbollah is dispensing up to $US12,000 ($16,000) to people who have lost property in the war, but Mr Hasrouni says he will not accept it. "We don't want to be indebted to Hezbollah," he said.

Residents who fled the town during the war returned to find bloodstains on their couches, or dirty handtowels where Hezbollah fighters had used their toilets, Mr Hasrouni said, adding that although many locals did not support this war, they could not stop it. Three years ago Hezbollah seized his olive groves for military purposes. He could do nothing.

"I do not like Hezbollah," said Mr Hasrouni, who still is afraid to visit his groves.

"I am disappointed with this war because Israel didn't really do the job … And I really don't believe anyone could disarm Hezbollah."

When Israel ended a decades-long occupation of southern Lebanon in 2000, Hezbollah assumed control of the rural area. Its intelligence networks prevailed and people grew fearful of speaking out against the Islamic party.

Mr Andruous, who is not interested in politics, wants to leave Lebanon with his young family. "I visited Australia in 2004," he said, standing in the ruins of his living room. "I like the country and I have a little money. And I cannot live here any more."

source: The Sydney Morning Herald

France to Send 2,000 Troops to Lebanon

PARIS -- President Jacques Chirac says France will send 2,000 soldiers for the U.N. peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon, and a European Union official said it wants the troops in place within a week.

In a nationally televised address that was closely followed throughout Europe, Chirac said Thursday that France will increase its deployment from an already announced 400 troops, and hopes to retain command of the force. He said the United Nations had provided guarantees France sought involving the mandate of the force.

"Two extra battalions will go on to the ground to extend our numbers within UNIFIL," Chirac said. "Two thousand French soldiers are thus placed under blue helmets in Lebanon," he added.

The White House cheered Chirac's announcement. "The president welcomes the decision by the French," said White House spokeswoman Dana Perino. "As he has said, an international force needs to be deployed urgently." President Bush is spending a long weekend in Kennebunkport, Maine, that will include the wedding of a cousin.

France, along with the United States, helped craft a U.N. Security Council cease-fire resolution that allowed for expansion of the UNIFIL force from the current 2,000 troops to up to 15,000. France's commitment of troops to establish a buffer zone between Israel and Hezbollah guerrillas has been closely watched in other countries.

The U.N. is expected to hold another formal meeting Monday for countries that have expressed interest in contributing troops to Lebanon, a U.N. official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because there has been no official announcement.

The United Nations hopes to nail down concrete numbers at that meeting so the deployment can begin quickly, the U.N. official said.

Sporadic violence has marked the U.N.-brokered cease-fire in Lebanon that took hold Aug. 14 and ended 34 days of ferocious fighting, but the truce has thus far held.

EU foreign ministers are to meet Friday in Brussels to discuss the force. Pressure on the Europeans has grown because Israel rejected offers of participation from Malaysia, Bangladesh and Indonesia _ predominantly Muslim countries that do not recognize the Jewish state.

Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni urged the international community to act as quickly as possible to deploy a U.N. force to keep the peace in southern Lebanon.

"The extremists who want to inflame the region are watching us, and this will test the strength and determination of the international community," Livni said after a meeting with Italian Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema.

Finnish Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja indicated the first reinforcements to a U.N. peacekeeping force could be imminent.

"We would like to see the first reinforcements for UNIFIL arrive within a week if possible," Tuomioja said in Berlin. Finland holds the rotating European Union presidency.

Most EU nations have been wary of making firm commitments until the mandate for the new force is clarified, fearing their peacekeepers could be dragged into a conflict with the Hezbollah militants or with Israel if the cease-fire collapses.

History has much to do with the hesitancy of European powers to make clear troop commitments.

France lost 71 soldiers during peacekeeping operations in Bosnia and Belgium 10 at the outset of the genocide in Rwanda a dozen years ago. France also lost 58 peacekeepers in the Oct. 23, 1983, Hezbollah attacks in Beirut that also killed 241 Americans.

Many European countries have expressed qualms over committing troops without strong guidelines on when its soldiers would have the right to shoot and to defend themselves.

During this summer's fighting, France presented itself as the natural leader to push for a cease-fire between Hezbollah militants and Israel _ sending its prime minister and foreign minister to Lebanon to survey the devastation and make appeals for peace.

Bush spoke with Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi about the expanded UNIFIL force for Lebanon, thanking Italy for its offer of "substantial forces" to the effort.

The resolution was designed to bolster the peacekeeping force to support some 15,000 Lebanese troops that have begun moving into the southern region, which suffered more than a month of fighting between the Lebanese-based Hezbollah militia and Israeli troops.

Aside from France and Italy, other nations considering contributions include Belgium, China, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greece, Morocco, Nepal, New Zealand, Spain and Turkey.

Source: Associated Press 

Syria Opposes U.N. Forces on Its Border

BEIRUT, Lebanon - Syria on Wednesday opposed deployment of an international force along its border to prevent arms shipments to Hezbollah, and Israel called the situation in Lebanon "explosive." A cease-fire was further shaken by artillery shells and explosions that killed three Lebanese soldiers and an Israeli.

Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora asked the U.S. to help lift an Israeli blockade on his country's coast and airport _ something Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said would not happen until U.N. troops deployed along the Lebanon-Syria border to block the flow of weapons. Hezbollah's vast arsenal of rockets and other weapons, much of which is believed to originate in Iran, reaches the guerrillas across the Syrian border.

European Union ambassadors and deputies met in Brussels, Belgium, to drum up volunteers for the force, but tentative pledges reached just 4,200 troops by Wednesday _ far short of the 15,000 called for by the U.N. cease-fire resolution. Deployment was likely take weeks or months.

Meanwhile, Syria indicated it might impose a blockade of its own.

"They will close their borders for all traffic in the event that U.N. troops are deployed along the Lebanon-Syria border," Finland's foreign minister Erkki Tuomioja said after meeting his Syrian counterpart, Walid Moallem, in Helsinki. Finland holds the rotating presidency of the European Union.

Lebanon has land borders only with Syria and Israel.

Syria's threat to close its border and Israel's resolve to continue the blockade were among the burgeoning hurdles facing Lebanon as it struggled to meet key requirements of the U.N. resolution: deployment of 15,000 Lebanese soldiers south for the first time in four decades and stiffening control on all borders.

Saniora said his government was making "every effort" to secure the borders, but Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni questioned the pace.

"Time is working against those who would like to see this resolution applied," Livni told reporters after talks in Paris with French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy. "We are now in the most sensitive and explosive position."

Several incidents erupted along the Israel-Lebanon border Wednesday, with the killing of three Lebanese and one Israeli soldier by exploding ordnance, the capture of two Lebanese men in an army raid, and the resumption of sporadic shelling by Israeli forces in the disputed Chebaa Farms.

Olmert told Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice by phone that the international force must arrive as soon as possible, so the sea and air blockade could be called off, his office said.

Syria _ a Hezbollah benefactor largely left out of diplomacy during the 34-day war _ appeared to insert itself Wednesday.

Syrian President Bashar Assad called any deployment of multinational troops along his border a "hostile" affront to Syria.

"First, this means creating hostile conditions between Syria and Lebanon," Assad told Dubai Television in an interview aired Wednesday. "Second, it is a hostile move toward Syria and naturally it will create problems."

The Aug. 11 U.N. resolution that halted fighting three days later called for the international reinforcements to arrive in Lebanon, but some have complained the mandate was fuzzy.

The additional peacekeepers were to augment the 2,000-strong U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, deploy south of the Litani River, 18 miles from the Israeli border, and open fire only in defense of themselves and civilians.

"The Israelis cannot ask UNIFIL to disarm Hezbollah. This is not written in our mandate," French Maj. Gen. Alain Pellegrini, the UNIFIL commander, told reporters at force headquarters in Naqoura, Lebanon..

Pellegrini said the cease-fire "is tense, very fragile, very volatile... Any provocation or misunderstanding could escalate very, very rapidly."

Many countries appeared wary of joining without safeguards to ensure they don't get sucked into a new Mideast conflict.

France currently leads UNIFIL but disappointed the U.N. by pledging only to double its 200-strong contingent. French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin said Wednesday his country wanted "to go further once the conditions are right."

A U.N. diplomat said Tuesday that France is considering increasing its commitment, and a high-level meeting is planned Thursday with President Jacques Chirac, the foreign and defense ministers and key military officials to look at several options to add more troops. The diplomat spoke on condition of anonymity because no decision has been made.

Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis visited Beirut on Wednesday and pledged two teams of troops but did not mention numbers.

Saniora accepted a $230 million aid package from the United States and asked Washington to use its influence with Israel.

"The United States can support us in putting real pressure on Israel to lift the siege," Saniora said. Israel imposed a sea, land and air blockade on Lebanon early in the war. Saniora has called its continuation a violation of the cease-fire and reportedly asked Rice and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to intervene.

Artillery soared Wednesday in the disputed Chebaa Farms area _ where Lebanon, Syria and Israel meet. Israel said it fired only into its own territory as deterrence. But Lebanese security officials said Israeli troops stationed in the area fired across the border into Lebanon, hitting near Lebanese army positions. Lebanese and Israeli officials agreed no artillery from Lebanon hit Israel.

The Israeli army seized two Lebanese men in a village farther along the border, Lebanese officials said, but Israel did not comment on the claim.

Three Lebanese soldiers were killed as they dismantled an unexploded missile near the southern village of Tibnine, and an Israeli soldier died near Blida when his tank hit a land mine.

Another Israeli soldier was shot in the head the border village of Taibeh, Arab media said, but Israel denied such an incident.

A Lebanese army communique said four Israeli jets flew over huge swaths of Lebanon, including the capital. Such flyovers have been frequent since the cease-fire.

Witnesses in south Lebanon said an Israeli bulldozer and two tanks set up a roadblock and cut off traffic between two Lebanese villages, isolating the town of Bint Jbail.

Hundreds of Israeli troops have remained in the positions they occupied during the fighting, waiting for the U.N. peacekeepers to establish a buffer zone between Israel and Hezbollah guerrillas.

source: AP

Syria's new 'Hezbollah' group training for attacks

Baath party official: Lebanon war proves 'resistance' against Israel works

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JERUSALEM – Following what it views as a Hezbollah victory against the Jewish state, Syria is forming its own Hezbollah-like guerrilla organization to fight Israel in hopes of "liberating" the Golan Heights, according to a report aired yesterday on state-run Iranian television.

Last week, WorldNetDaily broke the story Syria is in the process of forming what an official from Syrian President Bashar Assad's Baath Party called the Front for the Liberation of the Golan Heights, a new "resistance" group that models itself after Hezbollah.

The official told WND the Front will attempt attacks to force Israel from the Golan Heights, strategic mountainous territory captured by the Jewish state after Syria used the terrain to attack Israel in 1967 and again in 1973. The Heights borders Israel, Syria and Lebanon and is claimed by Damascus.

Al-Alam Iranian television yesterday featured an interview with a man who identified himself as the leader of the new Front for the Liberation of the Golan Heights. The man, whose features were blocked out, said his new group consists of "hundreds" of fighters who are currently training for guerilla-like raids against Israeli positions in and near the Golan. He claimed the Front has opened several training camps inside Syria.

Last week, the Baath party official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told WND Syria learned from Hezbollah's military campaign against Israel the past month that "fighting" is more effective than peace negotiations with regard to gaining territory. He said Syria's new guerilla force would be trained by Hezbollah leaders.

"Syria is very serious about establishing this new guerilla force," the official said.

Hezbollah, which was embroiled in a month-long military confrontation with Israel, claims its goal is to liberate the Shebaa Farms, a small, 200-square-kilometer bloc situated between Syria, Lebanon and Israel. The Farms is the last post held by Israel after its withdrawal in 2000 from positions it took along the Lebanese border.

Most Western analysts agree Hezbollah uses the pretext of the Shebaa Farms to maintain its weapons to start conflicts with the Jewish state. Hezbollah is sponsored by Syria and Iran.

The cease-fire resolution accepted by Israel last week calls for negotiations leading to Israel's relinquishing of the Shebaa Farms. The resolution sought to end fighting that broke out after Hezbollah ambushed an Israeli military patrol unit July 12, kidnapping two soldiers and killing eight others.

The Baath party official told WND the Front for the Liberation of the Golan Heights was formed last month. The official said the group currently consists of Syrian volunteers, many from the Syrian border with Turkey and from Palestinian refugee camps near Damascus. He said Syria held registration for volunteers to join the Front in June.

The official's statements to WND came one day after Assad declared in a television address Hezbollah's path of "resistance" achieved results during the last four weeks of fighting against Israel.

"The region has changed because of the achievements of the resistance [Hezbollah]," said Assad, speaking to a journalists association.

Assad said members of Hezbollah used their "will, determination and faith" to counter Israeli arms, enabling the Lebanese militia to defeat Israel.

"We tell them (Israelis) that after tasting humiliation in the latest battles, your weapons are not going to protect you – not your planes, or missiles or even your nuclear bombs. ... The future generations in the Arab world will find a way to defeat Israel," Assad said.

"The resistance is necessary as much as it is natural and legitimate," said the Syrian president, claiming the war in Lebanon revealed the limitations of Israel's military power.

"The result was more failure for Israel, its allies and masters," said Assad.

source: WorldNetDaily.com

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President Bush Pledges $230 Million in U.S. Aid to Lebanon

By Stephen Kaufman
White House Correspondent
August 21, 2006

Washington -- President Bush pledges the United States will increase its humanitarian and reconstruction aid to Lebanon to $230 million to help the country recover after weeks of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.

Speaking at the White House August 21, Bush said the funds would help the Lebanese people return to their communities and rebuild their homes, restore infrastructure such as bridges and roads and rehabilitate schools in time for the beginning of the fall school year.

“Our nation is wasting no time in helping the people of Lebanon,” he said.  “America is making a long-term commitment to help the people of Lebanon because we believe every person … deserves to live in a free, open society that respects the rights of all.”

More than half of the $50 million in U.S. aid committed since the outbreak of Israel-Hezbollah hostilities has been distributed to the Lebanese people, Bush said, adding that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has “led the diplomatic efforts” to establish humanitarian corridors, reopen Beirut's airport, and ensure a steady fuel supply to the country's power plants and automobiles for the facilitation of relief convoys and the transport of humanitarian aid.

The president also said 25,000 tons of U.S. wheat will be delivered to Lebanon in the coming weeks, and an oil spill response team is being sent to help the Lebanese government clean up an oil slick that is endangering communities along the Lebanese coast.

Other proposed U.S. assistance includes a $42 million package to help train and equip Lebanon's armed forces, and an upcoming presidential delegation of private-sector leaders that will visit the country to identify ways in which American businesses and nonprofit organizations can help. (See related fact sheet .)

The funds will be drawn from existing State Department resources, according to U.S. government sources.

For Israel, whose infrastructure was damaged by Hezbollah rocket attacks, the president said he would work with the U.S. Congress to extend the availability of loan guarantees to provide funds for rebuilding.

President Bush also urged the rapid deployment of an international force, as called for by U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701, which he said is “essential to peace in the region” and to Lebanese freedom. He said the international force is needed to maintain the cease-fire and prevent Hezbollah from re-establishing itself as “a state within a state.” 

“The need is urgent. The international community must now designate the leadership of this new international force, give it robust rules of engagement and deploy it as quickly as possible to secure the peace,” Bush said.

The United States, although not contributing troops to the 15,000-member force, will help with “logistic support, command and control, communications and intelligence.”  Bush also said his administration will work with the force's leadership after it is established to ensure United States is doing all it can “to make this mission a success.”

He added that the United States is working with its international partners to organize and deploy the force. Citing France's understanding of regional issues and historical ties with Lebanon, Bush said he hopes France will contribute more troops.

UNSC DRAFT RESOLUTION LEBANON

Friday, August 11, 2006; 4:26 PM
The Security Council, PP1. Recalling all its previous resolutions on Lebanon, in particular resolutions 425 (1978), 426 (1978), 520 (1982), 1559 (2004), 1655 (2006) 1680 (2006) and 1697 (2006), as well as the statements of its President on the situation in Lebanon, in particular the statements of 18 June 2000 (S/PRST/2000/21), of 19 October 2004 (S/PRST/2004/36), of 4 May 2005 (S/PRST/2005/17) of 23 January 2006 (S/PRST/2006/3) and of 30 July 2006 (S/PRST/2006/35),

PP2. Expressing its utmost concern at the continuing escalation of hostilities in Lebanon and in Israel since Hizbollah's attack on Israel on 12 July 2006, which has already caused hundreds of deaths and injuries on both sides, extensive damage to civilian infrastructure and hundreds of thousands of internally displaced persons,

PP3. Emphasizing the need for an end of violence, but at the same time emphasizing the need to address urgently the causes that have given rise to the current crisis, including by the unconditional release of the abducted Israeli soldiers,

PP4: Mindful of the sensitivity of the issue of prisoners and encouraging the efforts aimed at urgently settling the issue of the Lebanese prisoners detained in Israel,

PP5. Welcoming the efforts of the Lebanese Prime Minister and the commitment of the government of Lebanon, in its seven-point plan, to extend its authority over its territory, through its own legitimate armed forces, such that there will be no weapons without the consent of the government of Lebanon and no authority other than that of the government of Lebanon, welcoming also its commitment to a UN force that is supplemented and enhanced in numbers, equipment, mandate and scope of operation, and bearing in mind its request in this plan for an immediate withdrawal of the Israeli forces from Southern Lebanon,

PP6. Determined to act for this withdrawal to happen at the earliest,

PP7. Taking due note of the proposals made in the seven-point plan regarding the Shebaa farms area,

PP8. Welcoming the unanimous decision by the government of Lebanon on 7 August 2006 to deploy a Lebanese armed force of 15,000 troops in South Lebanon as the Israeli army withdraws behind the Blue Line and to request the assistance of additional forces from UNIFIL as needed, to facilitate the entry of the Lebanese armed forces into the region and to restate its intention to strengthen the Lebanese armed forces with material as needed to enable it to perform its duties,

PP9. Aware of its responsibilities to help secure a permanent ceasefire and a long-term solution to the conflict,

PP10. Determining that the situation in Lebanon constitutes a threat to international peace and security,

OP1. Calls for a full cessation of hostilities based upon, in particular, the immediate cessation by Hizbollah of all attacks and the immediate cessation by Israel of all offensive military operations;

OP2. Upon full cessation of hostilities, calls upon the government of Lebanon and UNIFIL as authorized by paragraph 11 to deploy their forces together throughout the South and calls upon the government of Israel, as that deployment begins, to withdraw all of its forces from Southern Lebanon in parallel;

OP3. Emphasizes the importance of the extension of the control of the government of Lebanon over all Lebanese territory in accordance with the provisions of resolution 1559 (2004) and resolution 1680 (2006), and of the relevant provisions of the Taif Accords, for it to exercise its full sovereignty, so that there will be no weapons without the consent of the government of Lebanon and no authority other than that of the government of Lebanon;

OP4. Reiterates its strong support for full respect for the Blue Line;

OP5. Also reiterates its strong support, as recalled in all its previous relevant resolutions, for the territorial integrity, sovereignty and political independence of Lebanon within its internationally recognized borders, as contemplated by the Israeli-Lebanese General Armistice Agreement of 23 March 1949;

OP6. Calls on the international community to take immediate steps to extend its financial and humanitarian assistance to the Lebanese people, including through facilitating the safe return of displaced persons and, under the authority of the Government of Lebanon, reopening airports and harbours, consistent with paragraphs 14 and 15, and calls on it also to consider further assistance in the future to contribute to the reconstruction and development of Lebanon;

OP7. Affirms that all parties are responsible for ensuring that no action is taken contrary to paragraph 1 that might adversely affect the search for a long-term solution, humanitarian access to civilian populations, including safe passage for humanitarian convoys, or the voluntary and safe return of displaced persons, and calls on all parties to comply with this responsibility and to cooperate with the Security Council;

OP8. Calls for Israel and Lebanon to support a permanent ceasefire and a long-term solution based on the following principles and elements:

- full respect for the Blue Line by both parties,

- security arrangements to prevent the resumption of hostilities, including the establishment between the Blue Line and the Litani river of an area free of any armed personnel, assets and weapons other than those of the government of Lebanon and of UNIFIL as authorized in paragraph 11, deployed in this area,

- full implementation of the relevant provisions of the Taif Accords, and of resolutions 1559 (2004) and 1680 (2006), that require the disarmament of all armed groups in Lebanon, so that, pursuant to the Lebanese cabinet decision of July 27, 2006, there will be no weapons or authority in Lebanon other than that of the Lebanese state,

- no foreign forces in Lebanon without the consent of its government,

- no sales or supply of arms and related materiel to Lebanon except as authorized by its government,

- provision to the United Nations of all remaining maps of land mines in Lebanon in Israel's possession;

OP9. Invites the Secretary General to support efforts to secure as soon as possible agreements in principle from the Government of Lebanon and the Government of Israel to the principles and elements for a long-term solution as set forth in paragraph 8, and expresses its intention to be actively involved;

OP10. Requests the Secretary General to develop, in liaison with relevant international actors and the concerned parties, proposals to implement the relevant provisions of the Taif Accords, and resolutions 1559 (2004) and 1680 (2006), including disarmament, and for delineation of the international borders of Lebanon, especially in those areas where the border is disputed or uncertain, including by dealing with the Shebaa farms area, and to present to the Security Council those proposals within thirty days;

OP11. Decides, in order to supplement and enhance the force in numbers, equipment, mandate and scope of operations, to authorize an increase in the force strength of UNIFIL to a maximum of 15,000 troops, and that the force shall, in addition to carrying out its mandate under resolutions 425 and 426 (1978):

a. Monitor the cessation of hostilities;

b. Accompany and support the Lebanese armed forces as they deploy throughout the South, including along the Blue Line, as Israel withdraws its armed forces from Lebanon as provided in paragraph 2;

c. Coordinate its activities related to paragraph 11 (b) with the Government of Lebanon and the Government of Israel;

d. Extend its assistance to help ensure humanitarian access to civilian populations and the voluntary and safe return of displaced persons;

e. Assist the Lebanese armed forces in taking steps towards the establishment of the area as referred to in paragraph 8;

f. Assist the government of Lebanon, at its request, to implement paragraph 14;

OP12. Acting in support of a request from the government of Lebanon to deploy an international force to assist it to exercise its authority throughout the territory, authorizes UNIFIL to take all necessary action in areas of deployment of its forces and as it deems within its capabilities, to ensure that its area of operations is not utilized for hostile activities of any kind, to resist attempts by forceful means to prevent it from discharging its duties under the mandate of the Security Council, and to protect United Nations personnel, facilities, installations and equipment, ensure the security and freedom of movement of United Nations personnel, humanitarian workers, and, without prejudice to the responsibility of the government of Lebanon, to protect civilians under imminent threat of physical violence;

OP13. Requests the Secretary General urgently to put in place measures to ensure UNIFIL is able to carry out the functions envisaged in this resolution, urges Member States to consider making appropriate contributions to UNIFIL and to respond positively to requests for assistance from the Force, and expresses its strong appreciation to those who have contributed to UNIFIL in the past;

OP14. Calls upon the Government of Lebanon to secure its borders and other entry points to prevent the entry in Lebanon without its consent of arms or related materiel and requests UNIFIL as authorized in paragraph 11 to assist the Government of Lebanon at its request;

OP15. Decides further that all states shall take the necessary measures to prevent, by their nationals or from their territories or using their flag vessels or aircraft,

(a) the sale or supply to any entity or individual in Lebanon of arms and related materiel of all types, including weapons and ammunition, military vehicles and equipment, paramilitary equipment, and spare parts for the aforementioned, whether or not originating in their territories, and

(b) the provision to any entity or individual in Lebanon of any technical training or assistance related to the provision, manufacture, maintenance or use of the items listed in subparagraph (a) above, except that these prohibitions shall not apply to arms, related material, training or assistance authorized by the Government of Lebanon or by UNIFIL as authorized in paragraph 11;

OP16. Decides to extend the mandate of UNIFIL until 31 August 2007, and expresses its intention to consider in a later resolution further enhancements to the mandate and other steps to contribute to the implementation of a permanent ceasefire and a long-term solution;

OP17. Requests the Secretary-General to report to the Council within one week on the implementation of this resolution and subsequently on a regular basis;

OP18. Stresses the importance of, and the need to achieve, a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East, based on all its relevant resolutions including its resolutions 242 (1967) of 22 November 1967 and 338 (1973) of 22 October 1973;

OP19. Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.

Deal forged on UN Mideast ceasefire draft - August 11, 2006

France and the United States reached agreement on Friday on a draft resolution for halting the bloodshed in Lebanon and Israel, British Foreign Minister Margaret Beckett said.

The full 15-nation U.N. Security Council gets the new revised text shortly and a vote was expected late on Friday, British, U.S. and French officials said.

Israel and Lebanon have received the draft but Beckett said sponsors of the resolution would push ahead for a vote, regardless of their response, following days of consultations with both governments.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Beckett had arrived in New York expecting to participate in last-minute talks. French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy was en route to New York.

Rice phoned both Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora to try to get them to accept the text, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told Reuters.

The draft resolution, forged on the same day Israel ordered an expansion of its ground offensive, calls for an immediate "cessation of hostilities" followed by a phased withdrawal of Israeli units as the Lebanese army and an expanded U.N. peacekeeping force move into the south.

Beckett said Israel and Lebanon were expected to agree but she did not expect either country to "go out and say we accept every bit of text but that they would implement the text."

She cautioned that the resolution was a short-term plan. "We're not here trying to solve all the problems of the Middle East overnight," Beckett said.

CHAPTER 7 HAGGLING

At the insistence of Lebanon, the United States and Britain agreed to drop a reference to Chapter 7 of the U.N. Charter, which permits a robust U.N. peacekeeping operation and instead put the resolution under the weaker Chapter 6.

British U.N. Ambassador Emyr Jones Parry said the text would carry language that would permit peacekeepers to use force to implement their mission.

More than 1,000 Lebanese and 121 Israelis have been killed in the five-week-old war that began on July 12 with the cross-border abduction of two Israeli soldiers by Hizbollah guerrillas.

Lebanon had rejected an international force not under U.N. control while Israel, which planned to deploy more troops in Lebanon, insisted on a strong multinational force before it would withdraw.

The latest compromise proposal calls for a phased withdrawal by Israeli troops as the Lebanese army deploys 15,000 troops in the south, controlled by Hizbollah.

At the same time, the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, would be reinforced by French and other troops, perhaps as many as 15,000. As part of the deal, Hizbollah would pull out from south of the Litani River, 13 miles from the Israeli border.

But the text is not expected to define when Hizbollah would be disarmed and by whom, as called for in previous U.N. resolutions.

As in earlier drafts, the resolution is expected to include an arms embargo on weapons flowing to militia in Lebanon except for those ordered by the Beirut army and U.N. forces.

A second resolution is expected to follow within a month setting out terms for a permanent cease-fire.

Lebanon also wanted language changes on the disputed Shebaa Farms strip, occupied by Israel. Lebanon claims the territory, which the United Nations says is part of Syria unless Damascus agrees legally to change the border.

Beirut had wanted U.N. peacekeepers to occupy Shebaa on the Syrian-Israeli-Lebanese border until the borders were demarcated but the United States and France dropped this demand.

Source: Reuters

Lebanon Response Report-Department of State

Fact Sheet

Department of State
Office of the Spokesman
Washington, DC
July 19, 2006

Key Points

Ø       Our top priority remains the welfare and security of American citizens.

 

Ø       The United States is using all available means to ensure safe passage of American citizens out of Lebanon, including chartered commercial ships, US military aircraft, and US military ships en route to the Eastern Mediterranean.

 

Status Report

 

Ø       Over 1600 American Citizens have been transported out of Lebanon by the United States since Sunday, July 16, 2006.

 

Ø       We have transported over 1200 citizens out of Lebanon to Cyprus today, Wednesday, July 19, 2006

• 161 via helicopter flights (2 sorties of 2 helicopters each)
• 1066 (the majority of whom are American) aboard the Orient Queen (departed 0800 EDT, arrive Larnaca 1800 EDT)
• 36 aboard Canadian chartered ships (will occur daily from Wednesday, July 19, 2006)

 

Ø       We will continue to transport Americans using all resources available.  The assets assigned or contracted to help in this effort include:

• Helicopter flights (4 sorties of 2 helicopters each)
• The MS Ramah, a Saudi-owned, Panamanian-flagged, passenger vessel (capacity up to 1400)
• The Orient Queen (capacity up to 1000)
• The Vittoria M, a United States chartered Italian passenger vessel (capacity up to 325)
• The Canadian chartered ships
• The USS Nashville (capacity up to 1000)
• The USS Iwo Jima (capacity up to 1000)
• The USS Whidbey Island (capacity up to 1000)
• The USS Trenton (capacity up to 800)
• The USS Swift (capacity up to 800)

 

Ø       We are working to provide onward travel from Cyprus.  As of this morning, we have chartered 9 flights to provide for the onward travel from Cyprus and arrangements are continuing.  The first flight is scheduled to arrive in Baltimore tomorrow morning.

 

Ø       In this extraordinary case, Secretary Rice has directed the State Department to waive the requirement for American citizens departing Lebanon to reimburse the United States Government for travel costs.

 

Ø       The State Department is working with our partners in the Department of Defense, the private sector, and our friends and allies around the world to assist transporting Americans in the safest manner possible.

 

Ø       What to do if you are in Lebanon or have loved ones in Lebanon?

• Americans in Lebanon should register with the Department of State by calling:

202-501-4444 or 888-407-4747 or at  www.travel.state.gov

Released on July 19, 2006

U.N. official blasts Hezbollah

A United Nations humanitarian chief blasted Hezbollah for operating
among Lebanese civilians.
"When I was in Lebanon, in the Hezbollah heartland, I said Hezbollah
must stop this cowardly blending in among women and children," Jan Egeland,
U.N. undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief
coordinator, told reporters Monday in Cyprus, during a rest between Beirut
and the Gaza Strip.

"I heard they were making statements that they were proud of losing
fewer armed men than civilians. It's hard to see how they could be proud of
such a situation."

Some 400 Lebanese, many of them civilians, have died in Israeli
shelling ordered after Hezbollah killed eight soldiers and abducted two more
in a July 12 raid.

Israel insists it tries to avoid civilian casualties and blames
Hezbollah for using ordinary Lebanese as human shields.