jeudi 26 juillet 2007

UN draft expresses concern over arms flow to Hizbullah

A French-US draft presidential statement presented to the UN Security Council on Wednesday afternoon expressed grave concern over "persistent reports" of breaches of the arms embargo along the Lebanese-Syrian border in violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701.

The draft statement, obtained by The Daily Star from the US and French missions in New York, follows UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's June 28 report on the implementation of Resolution 1701, which made detailed reference to violations of the arms embargo.

The draft statement expressed "deep concern about reports, which have not been refuted, that suspected armed Hizbullah elements are alleged to be constructing new facilities in the Bekaa Valley." The statement is dated July 23, the day Al-Jazeera aired the first part of Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah's interview, in which he declared his group possessed an arsenal of rockets that could reach any corner of Israel, including Tel Aviv.

The draft statement took note of "detailed informations" received from the Lebanese government concerning "dangerous activities of armed elements and groups, in particular the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command and Fatah Intifada." It reiterated the council's call for the disbanding and disarmament of all militias and armed groups in Lebanon. (...)

The draft also underscored the obligation of all member states, mentioning Syria and Iran by name, to "take all necessary measures to implement paragraph 15 of Resolution 1701 to enforce the arms embargo."

Source : The Daily Star