I. Background
1. I have the honour to submit herewith my ninth semi-annual report on the implementation of Security Council resolution 1559 (2004). It provides an update on progress in the implementation of the resolution since my last report, of 16 October 2008 (S/2008/654), and highlights the remaining areas of concern with regard to efforts to strengthen the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of Lebanon.
2. Over the past six months, the domestic political and security situation in Lebanon has continued to improve markedly. The commitments made at Doha have been either fully implemented or meaningfully acted upon. Political divisions between the majority March 14th and opposition March 8th have not led to paralysis, although there have been occasional tensions. The President, Michel Sleiman, has worked tirelessly to forge national unity.
3. The reporting period saw notable steps towards the normalization of ties between Lebanon and the Syrian Arab Republic, including the establishment of embassies and the exchange of visits of senior Government officials. Positive regional developments have also contributed to the stability of the country, in particular in the context of the Arab reconciliation efforts initiated by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, at the Arab League Economic Summit held in Kuwait in January 2009.
4. On 14 February 2009, a rally was held on Martyrs' Square to commemorate the fourth anniversary of the terrorist attack that killed the former Prime Minister, Rafiq Hariri, and 22 others. A supporter of the Progressive Socialist Party was stabbed to death after attending the commemoration. On 16 February, a rally was organized to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the killing of Imad Mughnieh, a senior commander of Hizbullah.
5. On 1 March 2009, I announced that the Special Tribunal for Lebanon had started functioning at The Hague. The commencement of the Tribunal's work marked a decisive milestone in the tireless efforts by all Lebanese and the international community to uncover the truth, bring those responsible for the assassination of Rafiq Hariri and related crimes to justice and end impunity. I called upon all Member States to fully support and cooperate with the Special Tribunal for Lebanon as it embarks on its work.
6. On 23 March 2009, a roadside bomb killed Kamal Medhat, deputy to the representative of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in Lebanon, Abbas Zaki. He and three of his bodyguards died in the blast, while three others were injured.
7. On 8 April, the General Prosecutor of Egypt announced that 49 people had been arrested, on the basis of information from State Security investigations, for allegedly being part of a cell assigned by Hizbullah "to plan and carry out hostile operations on Egyptian soil". On 10 April, the Secretary-General of Hizbullah, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, publicly acknowledged that Egyptian authorities had detained a Hizbullah operative for attempting to provide logistical and military assistance to Gaza-based militants. The Government of Egypt expressed its grave concern at external interference on sovereign Egyptian territory. Search for other members of the cell is continuing.
8. In an incident related to organized crime, on 13 April, four Lebanese soldiers were killed and several others were injured when their patrol came under the fire of machine guns and a rocket-propelled grenade, in eastern Lebanon.
II. Implementation of resolution 1559 (2004)
9. I recall that, since the adoption of Security Council resolution 1559 (2004), several of its provisions have now been implemented. Presidential elections were held in May 2008. The Syrian Arab Republic withdrew its troops and military assets from Lebanon in April 2005. Lebanon and the Syrian Arab Republic have established diplomatic relations and engaged in high-level talks on matters of relevance to the sovereignty, political independence and territorial integrity of Lebanon, such as the delineation of an international boundary between the two countries, as strongly encouraged by the Security Council in its resolution 1680 (2006).
10. Despite these major strides towards the full implementation of the requirements of resolution 1559 (2004), Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias continue to pose a threat to the stability of the country, and challenge the monopoly of the Government of Lebanon and the Lebanese Armed Forces on the use of force throughout Lebanon. Resolution 1559 (2004) thus remains to be implemented in full.
11. Over the past six months, my representatives and I have remained in regular and close contact with all parties in Lebanon, as well as with relevant regional and international players. I visited Lebanon on 17 January 2009, where I met the President of the Republic, the Speaker of the House and the President of the Council of Ministers, and addressed the Lebanese Parliament. On all these occasions, I expressed my full support for the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Lebanon and the progress made in this regard. On 18 January 2009, I met with the President of the Syrian Arab Republic in Damascus to discuss, inter alia, the implementation of relevant Security Council resolutions pertaining to Lebanon. Most recently, I attended the Arab Summit in Doha on 31 March 2009, on the sidelines of which I held several bilateral meetings with Arab leaders, among them the President of Lebanon, the President of the Syrian Arab Republic, Bashar al-Assad, the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, and the Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, to discuss, inter alia, the situation in Lebanon.
A. Sovereignty, territorial integrity, unity and political independence of Lebanon
12. The primary goal of resolution 1559 (2004) is to strengthen the sovereignty, territorial integrity, unity and political independence of Lebanon under the sole and exclusive authority of the Government of Lebanon throughout Lebanon, consistent with the Taif Agreement of 1989, to which all the political parties in Lebanon committed themselves. This matter has remained the highest priority in my efforts to assist with the implementation of the resolution.
13. In view of the signature, in Damascus on 15 October 2008, by the Foreign Ministers of the Syrian Arab Republic and Lebanon of a memorandum establishing diplomatic relations effective the same day, on 20 December the Lebanese Council of Ministers appointed Michel Khoury as Lebanon's first ambassador to the Syrian Arab Republic. On 22 December, the Syrian embassy in Beirut became operational. On 16 March 2009, the embassy of Lebanon in Damascus was inaugurated. On 24 March, President Sleiman approved the appointment of Ali Abdel Karim Ali as the first ambassador to Lebanon of the Syrian Arab Republic. On 20 April, Michel Khoury arrived in Damascus to take up his post. With these recent steps, the Syrian Arab Republic and Lebanon have nearly completed the process leading to the establishment of full diplomatic relations between the two countries, in fulfilment of resolution 1680 (2006). I congratulate the Presidents of the Syrian Arab Republic and Lebanon for this historic accomplishment.
14. I have also maintained my efforts to encourage the Syrian Arab Republic and Lebanon to achieve the full delineation of their common border. On 23 December 2008, President Sleiman issued a presidential decree naming the Lebanese members of the Lebanese-Syrian border committee tasked with delineating their common border, which was reactivated pursuant to the agreement reached in Damascus between the Presidents of the two countries on 13 and 14 August 2008. In my recent meetings with President Al-Assad and President Sleiman, both informed me that the joint border committee would convene within a month to start its work on the delineation of the borders. I look forward to the appointment by the Syrian Arab Republic of its delegates to the committee. I welcome the renewed commitment of the two countries to make progress on this matter and expect its early materialization.
15. I have continued diplomatic efforts in relation to the issue of the Shab'a Farms area, and will report on this further in my upcoming report on the implementation of Security Council resolution 1701 (2006).
16. I remain concerned regarding the porous nature of Lebanon's border with the Syrian Arab Republic and the continuing potential for breaches of the arms embargo. While the Lebanese authorities themselves have not reported any incidents of arms smuggling since my last report to the Security Council, Hizbullah leaders continue to assert that it has acquired more sophisticated military technology. Senior officials of the Syrian Arab Republic assert that Damascus is not involved in any illegal transfer of weapons across its border with Lebanon. I am alarmed by continuing reports of a large number of arms in Lebanon. I take these reports seriously but the United Nations does not have the means to independently verify them. In this context, I call upon all States to abide by the arms embargo. This is a key factor for stability in Lebanon and the region.
17. Meanwhile, the Syrian Arab Republic has again assured me of its intention to cooperate with the Lebanese authorities on border control issues. In this context, I took positive note that the most recent extension of the ongoing Syrian troop deployment along the Lebanese border has been increasingly coordinated with the Lebanese authorities. Further operational coordination between the Syrian Arab Republic and Lebanon will be needed to enhance border control on both sides. I call upon the Government of Lebanon to implement in full the recommendations of the Lebanon Independent Border Assessment Team.
18. Intrusions into Lebanese airspace by Israeli aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles continued in high numbers in violation of Lebanese sovereignty and Security Council resolutions. The Government of Lebanon continued to protest against these overflights, which the Government of Israel claims are carried out for security reasons. My representatives and I have repeatedly deplored these violations and called on Israel to cease the overflights.
19. Israel continues to occupy the northern part of Ghajar in violation of Lebanon's sovereignty and relevant Security Council resolutions. My representatives in the region are actively working with the Lebanese and Israeli authorities to find an early solution to this matter. I will report on this issue in more detail to the Council in my next report on the implementation of resolution 1701 (2006).
20. On 23 April 2009, a Lebanese prosecutor charged a retired Lebanese officer and three other people with spying for Israel and referred them to the military court. If these allegations proved to be true, it would constitute a violation of Lebanon's sovereignty. Several Lebanese citizens have been arrested in recent months on similar allegations.
