LEBANON: UN ENVOY HOLDS TALKS WITH PARLIAMENTARY LEADER

Sep 23 2009 9:10 PM The United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon today held discussions with one of the country’s senior parliamentary figures as part of UN efforts to promote an end to the current deadlock on the forming of a national unity government. Michael Williams met with General Michel Aoun, the leader of the Reform and Change bloc in the Lebanese Parliament, with their talks focused on the delays to the formation of a government, the UN spokesperson’s office reported. Lebanon held nationwide elections in June but its lawmakers have been unable to agree since then on the composition of a unity government, including a cabinet. Earlier this month Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon voiced concern about the impasse and encouraged all sides to continue their efforts to reach agreement. Mr. Williams said today after his discussions with Gen. Aoun that Lebanon is expected to soon take over one of the rotating seats on the Security Council “This is a very important role for Lebanon, which requires a fully functioning government that can follow up on many important international issues,” he said.

Registrar and Deputy Registrar of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon sworn in today

Leidschendam, 15 September 2009 – Today, David Tolbert (United States of America) was sworn in by the STL President, Antonio Cassese, in accordance with Rule 45 of the Rules of Procedure and Evidence. Mr. Tolbert replaces Robin Vincent, the first Registrar of the Tribunal. Mr. Tolbert recently served as Deputy Prosecutor from 2004 to 2008 at the ICTY and then as the Special Expert to the Secretary-General on the United Nations Assistance to the Khmer Rouge Trials (UNAKRT).
Also today, Herman von Hebel (The Netherlands), previously Acting Registrar until Mr. Tolbert’s appointment, was formally sworn in as Deputy Registrar. Mr. von Hebel previously served as Registrar and Deputy Registrar of the Special Court for Sierra Leone.

The President of the Special Tribunal expressed his confidence that the appointment of the two experienced lawyers to these important posts will contribute to the success of the STL mandate.

The Registry assists the Chambers, the Office of the Prosecutor, and the Defence Office in the performance of their functions and is responsible for the administration and servicing of the Tribunal.

UNIFIL spokesperson: situation calm South of Litani

13/09/09 NNA - UNIFIL spokesperson for military affairs, Diego Volko, has announced that the present security situation to the South of Litani River tends to be relatively calm with UNIFIL beefing up its presence and patrolling activities along the UN designated/Blue Line.

The UNIFIL spokesperson added in a public release today that a number of fixed and mobile roadblocks sprang up in many places in South Lebanon. He however declined to name any potential party that might have been responsible for firing 2 to 3 rockets in the occupied zone preferring instead to work with Lebanese military to find out those responsible. He stressed need for sticking to Resolution 1701 with the purpose of maintaining peace and security in conjunction with the Lebanese Army. He pleaded also with both sides to do all they could in order to deescalate the situation.

UN FORCE INVESTIGATING ROCKET FIRING INTO ISRAEL FROM SOUTH LEBANON‏

New York, Sep 11 2009 1:10PM
The United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon said it has launched an investigation into an incident today in which at least two rockets were fired from the southern part of the country into northern Israel.
According to preliminary reports, the rockets were fired from the general area of Qlaileh, in southern Lebanon, and impacted northern Israel in the general area north of Nahariya, the UN Interim Force in Lebanon said in a statement.
“The Israeli army retaliated with artillery fire aimed at the area from where the rocket fire originated. The firing stopped shortly thereafter,” it stated, adding that the mission has no reports of casualties on either side.
UNIFIL said it is in contact with both sides, urging them to exercise maximum restraint, uphold the cessation of hostilities and avoid taking steps which would lead to further escalation.
In coordination with the Lebanese Armed Forces, the mission has deployed additional troops and reaction force in the area to prevent escalation.
UN officials, including Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, have noted that incidents such as rocket firing pose a serious challenge to the implementation of Security Council resolution 1701 which helped end the war between Israel and Hizbollah in the summer of 2006.
The resolution calls for respect for the so-called Blue Line that separates Israeli and Lebanese sides, the disarming of militias and an end to arms smuggling, among other measures.

DANGEROUS RADIOACTIVE SOURCES REMOVED FROM LEBANON BY UN NUCLEAR WATCHDOG‏

New York, Sep 10 2009 11:10AM
The United Nations nuclear watchdog has safely removed powerful radioactive sources out of Lebanon, including Cobalt-60, a single source of which is enough to kill a person within minutes if directly exposed.
The mission was completed on 30 August, after a plane carrying the high-activity cargo safely touched down in Russia, where the sources are now securely and safely stored, the International Atomic Energy Agency said in a release.
“Given the political situation in the Middle East and particularly in Lebanon we saw this source as vulnerable to malicious acts. If it was stolen it could cause a lot of damage to people,” said Robin Heard, an IAEA radioactive source specialist who oversaw the mission.
The cargo included 36 Cobalt-60 sources which were from an irradiator that was once used for an agricultural project some 10 years ago. The project ended and the staff that knew how to properly look after the irradiation had left the organization.
Then in 2006, the Council of the European Union provided nearly 4 million Euros to the IAEA’s Nuclear Security Fund to secure high activity sources, like these, in the Middle East.
The mission involved extracting the sources from the irradiator and moving them to special transport containers. They were then flown to Russia on a plane hired specifically for the job.
Mr. Heard said the challenges to this particular project were all security related.
“Just after we went on our first fact finding mission to Lebanon in 2006, the Israelis bombed the airport, so there was no way we could fly the sources out at that time. So there was a long delay while we waited for things to normalise in Lebanon,” he said.

BAN ENCOURAGES LEBANESE TO CONTINUE EFFORTS TO FORM UNITY GOVERNMENT

New York, Sep 10 2009 3:10PM
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has encouraged all parties in Lebanon to continue their efforts to form a national unity government, after the Prime-Minister designate announced today that he is abandoning efforts in this regard after more than 10 weeks of trying.
“The Secretary-General regrets that at the moment it has proven impossible to form a new government in Lebanon,” UN spokesperson Marie Okabe told reporters in New York.
“He hopes that the consultations that President Michel Sleiman will hold with all parties will be successful and that the Lebanese continue working towards the goal of a unity government.”
Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri reportedly announced that that he is abandoning his attempt to form a government, after trying unsuccessfully to get all sides to agree on a cabinet.
Ms. Okabe added that the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Michael Williams, will continue to talk to all of the parties and encourage them to work in this direction.
Earlier this week Mr. Williams voiced his concern that no agreement has been reached on the formation of a government, more than 10 weeks after the designation of Mr. Hariri as Prime Minister-designate.
The Special Coordinator went over the process of forming a new government with Mr. Hariri when the two met last week, and had said he hoped this would happen soon in light of the many social, economic and security challenges the government will have to face once it is formed.

DELAY IN FORMING LEBANESE GOVERNMENT SPARKS CONCERN FROM UN ENVOY

New York, Sep 8 2009 2:11PM

The United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon today voiced his concern that no agreement has been reached on the formation of a government, more than 10 weeks after the designation of Saad Hariri as Prime Minister-designate.
Michael Williams discussed the issue during a meeting in Beirut with the Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament, Nabih Berri.
In a statement issued after the meeting, Mr. Williams called on all Lebanese to continue to work towards the goal of a unity government.
“Democracy needs compromise,” he said. “Lebanon must not return to the old days of polarization and crisis.”
They also discussed the implementation of Security Council resolution 1701, which helped to end the 2006 war between Hizbollah and Israel, as well as the situation in south Lebanon.
“We are both pleased by the calm that has prevailed in southern Lebanon recently, and we hope that all sides concerned continue to move towards the full implementation of the resolution soon,” said Mr. Williams.
The Special Coordinator went over the process of forming a new government with Mr. Hariri when the two met last Friday, and expressed his hope that this will be accomplished soon, particularly since the government will have many social, economic and security challenges to face after it is formed.

TOP UN ENVOY HOPES NEW LEBANESE GOVERNMENT FORMED SOON

New York, Sep 4 2009 1:11PM
The top United Nations envoy for Lebanon today voiced hope that the country's new Government will be formed soon, during talks in Beirut with Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri.

"We went over the process of forming a new government and I expressed my hope that this will be accomplished soon, particularly since the government will have many social, economic and security challenges to face after it is formed," Michael Williams, the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, told reporters after the meeting.

In addition, he noted that Lebanon is expected to take a seat on the UN Security Council in early 2010 and it is important for it to be fully prepared under the guidance of a functioning government.

Mr. Williams said he also congratulated Mr. Hariri on the initiatives he has taken during the past ten weeks to engage all the parliamentary blocs in the discussions on forming the government and his commitment to continuing the dialogue with all relevant parties in that regard.

The two also discussed the implementation of Security Council resolution 1701, which helped to end the 2006 war between Hizbollah and Israel, as well as the situation in south Lebanon.

"I am pleased by the calm that prevails in the area and expressed the hope that the new government would renew Lebanon's commitment to the full implementation of that resolution," he stated.

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The Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) and the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) have concluded an interim agreement

Leidschendam, 3 September 2009 – The Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) and the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) have concluded an interim agreement on INTERPOL's assistance to the Tribunal with regard to its investigations and other proceedings that pertain to the crimes that fall under its jurisdiction.

The Interim Agreement was signed by President Antonio Cassese, on behalf of the Special Tribunal of Lebanon pursuant to article 10 of the Tribunal's Statute, and by Mr. Ronald K. Noble, the Secretary-General of INTERPOL, on behalf of his organization.

The Interim Agreement, which entered into force on 24 August, is aimed at enabling the STL to request assistance from INTERPOL for the purposes of the ongoing investigations carried out by the Office of the Prosecutor of the Tribunal and other proceedings undertaken by the Tribunal in discharging its mandate, until a more comprehensive cooperation agreement that is currently being negotiated between the two bodies is concluded and enters into force.

The Office of the Prosecutor of the STL (OTP), which took a very active part in the negotiation of the Interim Agreement, and the Operational Support Directorate at INTERPOL's General Secretariat are responsible, on behalf of their respective organizations, to ensure the implementation on the Interim Agreement. This responsibility entrusted to the Office of Prosecutor stems from the fact that the Interim Agreement was concluded to primarily address immediate assistance needs of the OTP during the investigative stage of its work. The Interim Agreement ensures continuity of the cooperation that existed between INTERPOL and the United Nations International Independent Investigation Commission (UNIIIC), established by the Security Council in its Resolution 1595 (2005).

INTERPOL, with its 187 member States, was created in 1923 and aims at facilitating cross-border police cooperation. It supports and assists all organizations, authorities and services whose mission is to prevent or combat international crime.
INTERPOL has entered into agreements with the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the Special Court for Sierra Leone. In accordance with its cooperation agreement with the United Nations Organization concluded in 1997, INTERPOL also cooperates, where appropriate, in the implementation of the mandates of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda
 

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