June Monday 12-2000:
Introduction
Lebanese President Emile Lahoud condemned the United
Nation's handling of the process of verifying the withdrawal of
""Israeli"" occupation forces, adding that UN was too hasty
in mapping the border to which "Israel" had to retreat and called the
UN line "fictitious".
In his five-page memorandum, Lahoud said "it is
not within the jurisdiction of the UN team to deny the existence of recognized
borders in order to draw a fictitious retreat line to certify the
""Israeli"" withdrawal".
In the meantime, "Israeli" enemy government
approved legislation on Sunday to indefinitely imprison Sheikh Abdel Karim Obeid
and Hajj Mustafa Dirani detained for years without trial as bargaining chips for
missing "Israeli" servicemen.
Elsewhere, an Arab "Israeli" MP has called
for the Nobel peace prize to be awarded to Hizbullah's Secretary General H.E.
Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah for forcing an end to "Israel's" 22-year
occupation of South Lebanon.
Lahoud responds to UN hurry-up with a rejection of
Larsens Line
(1)
"As UNIFIL inspection teams edged slowly along
the border over the weekend, President Emile Lahoud issued a withering attack on
the United Nations handling of the process of verifying the withdrawal of
""Israeli"" occupation forces.
In a memorandum to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan released by Baabda Palace,
Lahoud expressed surprise that the UNs special Middle East envoy, Terje
Roed-Larsen, had insisted on a unique withdrawal line instead of demanding
that ""Israeli"" troops pull back to behind the
internationally recognized borders referred to in UN Resolutions 425 and 426.
In the five-page memorandum, Lahoud based his case on the references to the
internationally recognized borders found in 425 and Annans May 22
report on the implementation of the resolution.
Annans report based the line on the Anglo-French border of 1923, later
confirmed by the 1949 Armistice Agreement.
Lahouds memorandum even quoted the shortlived May 17 agreement of 1983
between Lebanon and "Israel", in which both countries agreed that
their mutual border was inviolable.
Lebanons objections center on Larsens apparent decision to deviate from
Annans instructions and issue what has become known as Larsens Line,
justifying the decision by claiming that Lebanons borders with
"Israel" were open to doubt.
Lebanon submitted the 1923 and 1949 documents and all maps adopted for these
borders, which leave no room for doubt regarding their accuracy and
authenticity, while no counter-evidence was submitted, said Lahouds
memorandum.
The 1923 border was clearly recorded on a map accompanied by a detailed written
description that, even 77 years later, leaves little room for ambiguity.
Lahoud attacked the UNs assertion that it was not responsible for demarcating
international boundaries, saying that neither was it the UNs responsibility
to deny the existence of internationally recognized borders and create in its
place a so-called withdrawal line to be used as a basis for confirming the
""Israeli"" withdrawal.
Lahoud said that Larsens withdrawal line had left a dangerous vagueness
over the true demarcation of the border and the extent of the required
""Israeli"" troop withdrawal.
The decision to release the memorandum appears to have been prompted by
Annans telephoning Lahoud on Friday to call for a hasty conclusion to the
verification process.
A Western diplomat suggested that Lebanons argument had received some
sympathy at UN headquarters in New York.
There has been some opposition in New York to putting this pressure on
Lebanon to accept the withdrawal line, the diplomat said. Larsen and his
cohorts, for whatever reason, want to push this through as soon as possible and
this has created the problem.
The inspection teams moved slowly, covering some 20 kilometers before ending at
Maroun ar-Ras on Sunday evening.
Lahouds latest memo to Annan
(2)
Excerpts from the text of President Emile Lahouds
memorandum to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan:
I would like to draw your attention to the points below, which take on
exceptional significance for us
First Security Council Resolution 425
This resolution stipulates strict respect for the integrity of Lebanons
territory, sovereignty and political independence within the internationally
recognized borders. It also calls on "Israel" to withdraw its
forces from all Lebanese territory
Second The Secretary-Generals report of 22 May 2000
Paragraph 11 of this report stipulates: For the practical purpose of
confirming the "Israeli" withdrawal, the United Nations needs to
identify a line to be adopted conforming to the internationally recognized
boundaries of Lebanon ... The United Nations will then identify physically on
the ground those portions of the line necessary or relevant to confirming the
withdrawal of "Israeli" forces.
Paragaph 13 of the same report stipulates that: The international boundary
between "Israel" and Lebanon was established pursuant to the 1923
Agreement between France and Great Britain ... This line was reaffirmed in the
"Israeli"-Lebanese General Armistice Agreement signed on March 23,
1949. Subsequently there were several modifications mutually agreed upon by
"Israel" and Lebanon.
Third Summing up the Resolution and the report, and the work of Mr. Larsen
and his team
The resolution and the report, as well as the historical facts, documents and
maps of all types, including those with the UN, unambiguously and unequivocally
confirm that there are internationally recognized borders between Lebanon
and "Israel" that were never at any time the object of dispute between
the two countries
During meetings with UN representatives, Lebanon was surprised by the
implication that the borders with "Israel" were not precisely
confirmed and that "Israel" did not submit any documents or maps,
while the UN had lost documents identifying the 1949 Armistice line in a flood!!
Meanwhile, Lebanon submitted the 1923 and 1949 documents and all maps adopted
for these borders, which leave no room for doubt regarding their accuracy and
authenticity, while no counter-evidence was submitted
Lebanon was also surprised by the proposal of adopting a withdrawal line
to confirm the "Israeli" withdrawal. Resolution 425 and the
secretary-generals report do not refer to this line at all, but to a line
conforming to the internationally recognized boundary. Therefore, the
"Israeli" withdrawal can only be confirmed based on the border, and
not on a non-existent, imaginary line namely the withdrawal line.
Lebanon was also surprised by the answer that it is not the UNs
responsibility to demarcate borders between Lebanon and "Israel".
Lebanon answered clearly that: Of course it is not the UNs responsibility
to demarcate borders between Lebanon and "Israel", just as it is not
the UNs responsibility to deny the existence of internationally recognized
borders and create in its place a so-called withdrawal line to be used as
a basis for confirming the "Israeli" withdrawal, in contravention of
the spirit and the letter of the Resolution and the report.
Moreover, "Israel" itself, in the first paragraph of the 17 May 1983
agreement signed between "Israel" and Lebanon (and later annulled)
acknowledged the following: The (two parties) consider the existing
international boundary between Lebanon and "Israel" inviolable.
Thus, there are existing international borders that cannot be subject to doubt
... they are clear for the purpose of confirming the "Israeli"
withdrawal.
As for the Shibaa Farms, it was clear in the secretary-generals report that
the practical line would be adopted in this region, in light of the absence of
old maps confirming the border between Syria and Lebanon. Thus, the practical
line was considered to be that between the UNIFIL and UNDOF mandates, with the
UN noting that this line can in no way be considered to infringe upon the border
rights among the parties concerned.
Lebanon agreed to this evaluation while awaiting a common formula for the Shibaa
Farms area, signed between Lebanon and Syria, to submit to the UN ... therefore
the "Israeli" withdrawal from the Lebanese heights of Mount Hermon is
part of implementing Resolution 425, as it involves from all Lebanese
territory.
Lebanon was surprised by the concept of a practical line, which the
secretary-generals report mentions only regarding the situation of the Shibaa
Farms. Lebanon was surprised by the attempt to apply the concept of the
practical line to the border between Lebanon and "Israel", which
totally contravenes the secretary-generals report and Resolution 425
Fourth Cooperation with the United Nations in drafting the Non-Paper
[preliminary agreement]
The Lebanese delegation spent more than a week with Mr. Larsen and his team in
order to draft a Non-Paper. Long discussions were held and led to the arrival at
a understanding in principle on this point, while awaiting the confirmation of
the ""Israeli"" withdrawal. However, Lebanon was surprised
by the June 6, 2000, press statement on the results of the work of the UN team,
which were contradicted several points that were agreed to in the agreement on
the Non-Paper.
The most important of these was putting the existing international borders
between Lebanon and "Israel" in doubt and again adopting the concept
of the withdrawal line and not the border line in violation of
Resolution 425 and the secretary-generals report. This leaves a dangerous
vagueness regarding the area ... meaning that the withdrawal will constitute
protection for continuing "Israeli" violations of the international
border present behind it
Lebanon also raised with Mr. Larsen and his team the issue of Lebanese detainees
and hostages in ""Israeli"" prisons, and the issue of
retrieving the bodies of resistance martyrs.
Lebanon has requested their immediate liberation, because the situation of
detention and kidnapping of two hostages (Sheikh Abdel-Karim Obeid and Hajj
Mustafa Dirani) took place during the "Israeli" occupation; this
should be solved at the time of the withdrawal.
Lebanon also raised the issue of the stealing of water from Lebanese territory
and considers that the dismantling of all "Israeli" installations and
equipment used in this regard should take place simultaneously with the
withdrawal. In addition, there is the request for a UN investigation into the
siphoning of the Hasbani River near the international border.
Summary
... Lebanon would also like to draw your attention to the difficulties facing
the work of the UNIFIL team charged with verifying the withdrawal on the ground.
This imaginary withdrawal line, which was drawn by Larsens team on the
ground, despite our objection to it as I have mentioned above, is seeing
"Israeli" violations on several points and is imprecise, due to
pressure that the UN team is facing regarding speeding up its work at the
expense of accuracy; we fear that this will also complicate matters
Beirut incensed at UN prodding on border
(3)
"Well-informed political sources said on Sunday
that Beirut would step up its efforts to gather information on
""Israeli"" violations of its border with Lebanon in
preparation for a diplomatic campaign to counter UN calls to speed up
verification of the withdrawal.
A political source said that government officials were surprised by UN
Secretary-General Kofi Annans accusation that Lebanon was behind the delay in
confirming the withdrawal of ""Israeli"" troops.
A source said that Beirut would make sure that the
""Israeli"" Army withdraws from every centimeter of Lebanese
territories, ignoring Annans call for the process to move faster.
If he was concerned about the security situation, all foreign countries have
said that the situation is under control, the source said, going on to
reiterate Beiruts dissatisfaction with the UNs effort.
Annan didnt acknowledge in his report that the Shibaa Farms fall within
Lebanese territory, the source said. And his envoy, Terje Roed-Larsen,
hasnt acted on Lebanons comments about the border delineation and instead
has considered Annans report to be final and unquestionable.
Political sources said that they were unsure about whether Annan would attend
the funeral of the late Syrian President Hafez Assad on Tuesday or postpone his
Middle East tour, scheduled for next week.
"Israeli" officials said on Sunday that Annan was due in
"Israel" this week as part of a tour of the Middle East.
The UN chief is expected to arrive on Wednesday evening and hold talks with
"Israeli" Premier Ehud Barak and Foreign Minister David Levy on
Thursday, said Levys spokesperson, Odelia Carmon-Lazar.
Diplomats at the UN said on Friday that Annan was also expected to travel to
Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Iran, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.
"Israeli" cabinet backs bill to allow
detention of Lebanese "bargaining chips"
(4)
" Prime Minister Ehud Barak's cabinet on Sunday
approved a bill to enable "Israel" to keep holding two Lebanese
militants detained for years without trial as "bargaining chips" for
missing "Israeli" servicemen.
The cabinet gave its unanimous backing to the draft
legislation "to enable the continued detention of Mustafa Dirani and Sheikh
Obeid as well as any illegal combatant in any force which fights against the
state of "Israel" or takes part in terrorist activities against
it," it said in a statement.
The legislation is due to be debated in the
""Israeli" parliament this week.
An "Israeli" court is due to decide on July
12 on the fate of the two men, whose release is being demanded by the Lebanese
government and Hizbullah which led the armed campaign against
"Israel's" occupation of Lebanon.
"Israel" argues that the two leaders,
whisked out of Lebanon by "Israeli" commandos in 1989 and 1994, pose a
danger to state security.
Their administrative detention -- a system used by
the state to keep them in jail without charge or trial which is roundly
condemned by human rights groups -- is due to expire on June 17.
They are being used as leverage to discover the fate
of missing servicemen in Lebanon, in particular Arad, whose plane was shot down
in 1986 over Lebanon.
Arab "Israeli" MP proposes Nobel prize for
Hizbullah leader
(5)
" An Arab "Israeli" MP has called for
the Nobel peace prize to be awarded to Hizbullah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah
for forcing an end to "Israel's" 22-year occupation of south Lebanon.
Taleb al-Sanaa of the United Arab List said Nasrallah
deserved the prize for prompting "Israel's" "peaceful"
withdrawal from its northern neighbour last month after the collapse of its
allied militia in the face of advancing Hizbullah.
"Ten years ago no-one could have imagined that
Palestinian president Yasser Arafat himself would have been a winner of the
Nobel peace prize," Sanaa told "Israeli" radio, adding that he
would be submitting his proposal to the Nobel committee.
Hizbullah led the armed campaign to oust
"Israeli" troops from south Lebanon where they occupied a buffer zone
with the declared aim of protecting northern "Israel" from guerrilla
attack.
Arafat, who gave up guerrilla tactics for peace
negotiations with "Israel" and signed the 1993 Oslo peace accords with
the Jewish state, won the Nobel peace prize the following year along with former
"Israeli" prime ministers Yitzhak Rabin and Shimon Peres.
Sanaa is one of 10 MPs from Arab parties in
"Israel", which has an Arab community of around one million people.
Court gets tough with "Israeli" agents
(6)
Forty-three "Israeli"-allied militiamen
were interrogated on Saturday, a day after a military court handed down harsh
sentences against 39 of their colleagues for collaborating with
"Israel".
The questioning brings the number of militiamen questioned on collaboration
charges to 950 from a total of about 1,700 who have turned themselves in to the
authorities.
The trials, held on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, will not resume until
Friday, as Monday and Tuesday are official days of mourning for the death of
Syrian President Hafez Assad and Wednesday is a holiday for the Prophet
Mohammeds birthday.
On Friday, a military court sentenced a third batch of collaborators to prison
terms that included long sentences for the first time.
Most of the sentences for the 39 on trial were for one year, but five senior
militia officers received sentences of between seven and 15 years for spying on
resistance groups and the Lebanese Army.
Since the trials opened last Monday, 105 miltiamen have been sentenced to terms
that mostly ranged between 12 and 18 months.
"Israel" dismantles radar station along
Lebanese border
(7)
" The "Israeli" army dismantled a
radar station Sunday located on the border with Lebanon, an AFP correspondent
reported from the scene.
The station encroached slightly on to Lebanese
territory near the fortified position of Tzipporen, near the Manara kibbutz in
Upper Galilee.
The dismantling came after a request by UN experts in
charge of marking the border to verify whether the "Israeli"
withdrawal last month meets UN Resolution 425, which called on
"Israel" to pull out of southern Lebanon.
"Israeli" Army liaison unit disbanded
(8)
" The "Israeli" Army liaison unit
which operated in southern Lebanon, was disbanded on Sunday. The need for the
unit no longer existed following the unilateral troop withdrawal from the former
security zone in May.
Following 18 years of operations in southern Lebanon,
OC Northern Commander Major-General Gabi Ashkenazi on Sunday announced the
disbanding of the unit which enjoyed many successes as well as enduring failures
and losses during its involvement in southern Lebanon.
Footnotes:
1-
The Daily Star, 12-6-2000.
2-
Same source.
3-
Same source.
4-
AFP, 11-6-2000.
5-
AFP, 12-6-2000.
6-
The Daily Star, 12-6-2000.
7-
AFP, 11-6-2000.
8- AFP, 12-6-2000.