While acknowledging that progress has been made over the past two years in reducing foreign influence in Lebanon, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said today that disarming Hizbollah is a "key element" in ensuring a permanent end to hostilities, and warned that much remains to be done to restore stability and peace.
"The eventual disarmament of Hizbollah in the sense of the completion of its transformation into a solely political party... is a key element in ensuring a permanent end to the hostilities," Mr. Annan said in his latest report on resolution 1559, which calls for the reduction of foreign influence in the Middle Eastern nation.
"In the months ahead, Lebanon will have to engage again in a truly national and inclusive dialogue. The disarming and disbanding of Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias... can only be achieved through an inclusive process that addresses the political and economic interests of all Lebanese and of those living in Lebanon."
Mr. Annan's report, covering developments in the past six months in Lebanon, was delivered to the Security Council by Terje Roed-Larsen, the Secretary-General's Special Envoy for the implementation of resolution 1559, and it also highlights continued Israeli violations of Lebanese sovereignty and territorial integrity.
"Persistent and provocative Israeli air incursions, occasionally reaching deep into Lebanese airspace and generating sonic booms over populated areas, continued to be a matter of serious concern... Israeli overflights have also continued since the cessation of hostilities between Israel and Hizbollah went into effect on 14 August 2006."
The report also emphasizes the importance of establishing "full diplomatic relations between Lebanon and the Syrian Arab Republic and their delineation of the shared border, including, in particular, in the Shab'a Farms area," stating that such a bilateral agreement would "constitute significant steps towards promoting peace and security in the region."
Further stressing the importance of "border delineation," Mr. Annan states that he is working to establish the full "cartographic, legal and political implications," and he also calls on both countries to address bilaterally the issue of Lebanese detainees in Syrian custody.
Wrapping up the report, which is Mr. Annan's fourth to the Council on resolution 1559, he repeats calls on "all parties and actors to support Lebanon's reconstruction and political transformation" and to urgently follow up on all relevant agreements, including resolution 1701 that ended this summer's conflict between Israel and Hizbollah.