VZCZCXYZ0000
OO RUEHWEB
DE RUEHC #6087 3461602
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 121542Z DEC 07
FM SECSTATE WASHDC
TO RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK IMMEDIATE 0000
INFO RUEHLB/AMEMBASSY BEIRUT IMMEDIATE 0000
RUEHDM/AMEMBASSY DAMASCUS IMMEDIATE 0000
RUEHTV/AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV IMMEDIATE 0000
RUEHJM/AMCONSUL JERUSALEM IMMEDIATE 0000
UNCLAS STATE 166087
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: UNSC LE IS PREL PBTS
SUBJECT: GUIDANCE: UNSC RESOLUTION 1701 CONSULTATIONS,
DECEMBER 12
1. (U) USUN may draw from the points in para 2 below during
UN Security Council consultations on the implementation of
UNSC resolution 1701 (2006) currently scheduled for December
12.
2. Begin points.
-- We welcome the Secretary-General's report and the
briefing by Mr. Pedersen (and General Graziano) on the
implementation of resolution 1701.
-- Before I begin discussing 1701, I have to address the
heinous event in Lebanon today. The United States condemns
in the strongest possible terms today's brutal assassination
of Lebanese Brigadier General Francois al-Hajj, an attack
which claimed the lives of several people and injured
numerous others. Our thoughts are with the families of all
of the victims, and with the Lebanese government, Army, and
people.
-- This bombing is yet another vicious attack against
Lebanon and its constitutional institutions. Today's attack
comes at a crucial time for the future of the Lebanese people
when a minority in Lebanon's opposition are blocking the
holding of presidential elections.
-- I would like to reiterate U.S. concern that it has not
yet been possible to hold a presidential election in Lebanon,
and urge the minority within the opposition in Lebanon who
are blocking the election to cease their demands to link
non-constitutional measures to presidential elections.
-- The United States urges the Lebanese to move quickly to
pave the way for the president to be elected. However, until
such time as a new president takes office, the United States
has full confidence in, and fully supports, the legitimate
Lebanese Government in managing the affairs of the state and
in the Lebanese Armed Forces in continuing to provide
security.
-- I wish to make six main points about the situation in
Lebanon as it relates to the demands of resolution 1701.
-- First, we commend UNIFIL and the troops serving in it for
their efforts to carry out their mandate. We want to
highlight in particular the close working relationship
General Graziano and his team have established with the
Lebanese Armed Forces. The expanded and improved role of the
LAF is one of the success stories of the past 18 months. We
also welcome the numerous patrols and checkpoints UNIFIL has
established to ensure that its area of operations is free of
unauthorized weapons or armed elements, particularly those
along the Litani river.
-- At the same time, however, we share the
Secretary-General,s deep concern that attacks
SIPDIS
against UNIFIL, and the June rocket attack against Israel,
show that hostile armed elements are still present in, or
still find a way into, the area of operations.8 We urge
UNIFIL to continue to seek ways to innovate and adapt to meet
the evolving threat.
-- Second, we welcome the commitment of both Lebanon and
Israel to the full implementation of resolution 1701. We
urge all sides to accelerate trilateral efforts to find an
early resolution to the issue of Ghajar, to address the issue
of unexploded ordnance in south Lebanon, and to mark and
ensure full respect for the Blue Line. In this regard, we
condemn all efforts to violate Lebanon,s sovereignty.
-- Third, we remain deeply concerned about illegal arms
transfers across the Syrian-Lebanese border, and in
particular by reports from the Prime Minister of Lebanon that
the Government of Syria was complicit in these transfers. We
strongly support the Secretary-General,s observation, which
he has made for the fourth time since last summer's war, that
Syria and Iran have a particular responsibility to ensure
that the arms embargo in resolution 1701 is fully respected.
-- Although the Syrian-Lebanese border can only be secured
when all regional states decide to honor their commitments
under resolution 1701, the recommendations of the Lebanon
Independent Border Assessment Team (LIBAT) serve as a
blueprint through which to increase Lebanon,s border
security capacity. We are encouraged that Lebanon has made
progress in implementing these recommendations and urge the
Secretary-General to continue to monitor their
SIPDIS
implementation, if necessary by dispatching the LIBAT team to
the region again.
-- Fourth, we fully support the Secretary-General,s call for
a process to disarm all militias in Lebanon in accordance
with resolution 1559 and the Ta,if Accords. As the
Secretary-General reports, Hizballah has not denied reports
SIPDIS
that it is constructing new facilities in the Bekaa valley,
and Hizballah Secretary-General Nasrallah,s recent
statements reinforce concerns that Hizballah has acquired
more arms than it possessed before last year's conflict. In
accordance with resolutions of this Council, Hizballah must
disarm, and it must do so now.
-- Fifth, we appreciate the Secretary-General's appeals for
proof of life of the two abducted Israeli soldiers, Eldad
Regev and Ehud Goldwasser, and reiterate our call on
Hizballah to immediately and unconditionally release them.
Hizballah,s continued public refusal to immediately release
the soldiers or even provide proof of life, when Israel has
afforded full ICRC access to Lebanese Hizballah prisoners
detained in Israel, is a clear rejection of this Council's
message in resolution 1701.
-- Sixth, we commend the efforts by the Secretary-General and
the UN cartographer to present a provisional territorial
definition of the Sheba,a Farms area. We reiterate that a
permanent solution to this issue remains contingent upon the
delineation of the border between Syria and Lebanon, and
deplore that Syria has not lived up to the commitment
President Asad made to the Secretary-General on April 24,
2007 to reactivate the Syrian-Lebanese border commission.
Lastly, we emphasize that proposals to support a change in
the status of the Sheba,a area must be considered in
conjunction with proposals for implementing the Council,s
disarmament requirements.
-- In conclusion, I note that Foreign Ministers from around
the world recently met in Annapolis to endorse a process that
we hope will lead to a permanent Israeli-Palestinian peace.
In terms of the Israeli-Lebanese relationship, we already
have a blueprint for at least a long-term cease-fire and a
permanent solution ) and that is resolution 1701.
-- More than one year has passed since the adoption of this
resolution. While much has been accomplished towards
implementing the Council,s decree, much more remains to be
achieved. We must all recommit ourselves to ensuring that
resolution 1701 is fully implemented, including compliance
with the arms embargo, release of soldiers, and progress
towards disarmament. The United States stands ready to do
its part towards this goal.
End points.
RICE