I. Introduction
1. The present report provides a comprehensive assessment of the implementation of Security Council resolution 1701 (2006) since the last report of the Secretary-General, dated 29 June 2009 (S/2009/330).
2. Overall, the situation in the area of operations of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) remained generally stable during the reporting period and the cessation of hostilities between Israel and Lebanon continued to hold. Notwithstanding this, a number of serious incidents and violations of resolution 1701 (2006) occurred during this period, both across the Blue Line and in the area between the Blue Line and the Litani River. These illustrated, once again, the continuing fragility of the situation and its potential to deteriorate. In all these instances, UNIFIL maintained close liaison and coordination with the parties on the military level through bilateral channels, urging them to exercise maximum restraint, with a view to preventing an escalation of the situation, and subsequently brought the incidents concerned to the attention of the tripartite mechanism. In addition, my Special Coordinator for Lebanon maintained close contact with the parties on the diplomatic and political level and sought to address acute instances of tension as well as the wider-ranging implementation of resolution 1701 (2006). The absence of progress on the implementation of key aspects of resolution 1701 (2006) continues to impede the attainment of a permanent ceasefire and a long-term solution between the parties.
3. Following the successful parliamentary elections held on 7 June in Lebanon, President Sleiman nominated Saad Hariri, the leader of the parliamentary majority, Prime Minister-designate on 26 June. He tasked him with conducting consultations with all parliamentary groups with a view to forming a government. Those consultations led to an agreement on a power-sharing formula between the majority and the minority for the formation of a government of national unity. However, failure to reach an agreement on the precise composition of the Government prompted Mr. Hariri to resign on 10 September. He was re-designated Prime Minister by President Sleiman on 15 September. At the time of writing this report, the Prime Minister-designate was still engaged in consultations aimed at forming a government. A summit meeting of the President of the Syrian Arab Republic, Bashar al-Assad, and King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia on 7 and 8 October in Damascus generally was seen in Lebanon as injecting important positive momentum into the process of government formation. In communiqués issued after the summit, the two leaders affirmed the importance of the early formation of a national unity government in Lebanon.
4. I am pleased to report that both Israel and Lebanon remain committed to the full implementation of resolution 1701 (2006). In order to achieve this goal, the parties must comply with their respective obligations and move from the current state of cessation of hostilities to a permanent ceasefire, thus paving the way for the establishment of longer-term arrangements to govern their relations in the future.
