Security Council Welcomes Lebanese Elections
New York, Jun 22 2005 3:00PM
In strong support of Lebanon's political independence, the United Nations Security Council today underscored the need
for newly elected Lebanese authorities to exercise their full sovereignty over the entire territory, to preserve unity
through national dialogue, and to respect the principles of good governance.
In a statement read out in a formal meeting by its President for the month of June, Ambassador Jean-Marc de La Sablière
of France, The Security Council welcomed the Lebanese parliamentary elections held between 29 May and 19 June and
commended the "fair and credible" nature of the vote.
The Council also congratulated the newly elected members of the Lebanese Parliament and paid tribute to the Lebanese
people, "who demonstrated, throughout the process, their strong commitment to democracy, freedom and independence."
Council members looked forward to the establishment of a new government in the near future and stressed that its
establishment in accordance with eth constitutional rules and without any foreign interference would be another sign of
Lebanon's political independence and sovereignty.
Ambassador de La Sablière said the Council reaffirmed that the Lebanese people must be allowed to decide the future of
their country free of violence and intimidation. "It strongly condemns, in this context, the recent terrorist acts in
Lebanon, in particular the heinous assassination of the former leader of the Communist Party, George Hawi, and calls for
their perpetrators to be brought to justice," he said.
"The Security Council calls upon the international community to stand ready to examine possible request from the newly
elected Lebanese authorities for enhanced assistance and cooperation, in support of a credible governmental program of
political and economic reform," said Ambassador de La Sablière.
The Council reiterated its call for the full implementation of the requirements of its resolution 1559 (2004), which
calls for the withdrawal of all foreign forces from Lebanon, disbanding all militias and extending Government control
over the whole country, carried out a series of shuttle missions culminating in a Syrian troop withdrawal in April.
The Council also called for the full implementation of its resolution 1595 (2005), which set up a commission in April to
investigate the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri after an initial UN fact-finding mission
found Lebanon's own probe seriously flawed and declared Syria, with its troop presence, primarily responsible for the
political tension preceding the assassination. The UN International Independent Investigation Commission (UNIIIC) became
fully operational on 16 June.
ENDS