Friday, January 29, 2010

UNIFIL Force Commander Transfer Of Authority, 28 January 2010

Naqoura, Lebanon – The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) today underwent a transfer of command from Lieutenant-General Claudio Graziano (Italy) to Major-General Alberto Asarta Cuevas (Spain).
The hand-over ceremony at UNIFIL Headquarters in Naqoura was attended among others by the Defence Minister of Lebanon, Mr. Elias Murr, the Spanish Minister of Defence, Mrs. Carme Chacon, the Italian Deputy Minister of Defence, Mr Giuseppe Cossiga, Lebanese Armed Forces Commander General Jean Kahwagi, Italian and Spanish Chiefs of Defence, General Camporini and General Rodriguez Fernandez, Members of Lebanese Parliament, senior officers of the Lebanese Armed Forces, Internal Security Forces, General Security and State Security, regional and local government officials, Ambassadors and senior UN officials.
In a farewell speech, Lieutenant-General Graziano looked back at his three years in command of UNIFIL, pointing to major improvements in the situation on the ground in south Lebanon.
“The cessation of hostilities and respect for the Blue Line have been mostly upheld by the parties,” he said. “The parties’ continued cooperation with UNIFIL and their steadfast commitment to resolution 1701 have been essential in this regard,” he added.
The outgoing Force Commander praised the Lebanese Armed Forces for its cooperation. “UNIFIL and the Lebanese Armed Forces have developed an effective partnership, which is the cornerstone for successful implementation of resolution 1701,” he said.
He pointed to the challenges that lie ahead, and said: “It is the responsibility of the parties to take advantage of the window of opportunity provided by UNIFIL’s presence to achieve a permanent ceasefire and a long-term solution.”
Lieutenant-General Graziano reviewed a UNIFIL Honour Guard and laid a wreath in memory of peacekeepers that lost their lives in the line of duty. He later signed the Transfer of Authority document and handed over the UN Flag to Major-General Asarta.
Major-General Asarta, in his first speech as Force Commander and Head of Mission, recalled his previous stint with UNIFIL as Sector East Commander from December 2008 to April 2009. We are here to assist the parties to maintain the cessation of hostilities and to move forward towards a permanent ceasefire, he said, “and we are determined to do it”. He added: “In this spirit, I shall do my very best to ensure the successful implementation of our mandate in southern Lebanon.”
UNIFIL currently has about 12,000 military personnel, including about 780 serving in the Maritime Task Force, from 29 countries. The civilian component of UNIFIL numbers more than 300 international and some 700 national staff.

Monday, January 25, 2010

UN force takes part in rescue mission for survivors of plane crash off Lebanese coast

25 January 2010 – The United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon is taking part in a joint search-and-rescue operation for possible survivors from a plane crash off the coast of Beirut early this morning.
According to media reports, an Ethiopian Airlines passenger plane with about 80 travelers and 10 crew members went down into the Mediterranean Sea shortly after take off from Beirut airport en route for Addis Ababa in a strong storm.
At the request of the Lebanese authorities, the maritime task force of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) dispatched two ships to the crash site as well as two helicopters.
The maritime fleet has been deployed since 2006 in the wake of that year’s war between Israel and Hizbollah, and is tasked with helping the navy secure its territorial waters and prevent the unauthorized entry of arms or related material by sea into Lebanon.
Last month the task force rescued at least 35 crew members from a cargo ship that capsized in rough seas about 10 nautical miles from the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli, and the week before it saved another crew member from a merchant ship that had sunk off the southern Lebanese coast. In 2008 the force rescued 14 people from a disabled vessel.

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

UN encouraged by Lebanon’s political progress, says senior official

19 January 2010 – The United Nations is “very encouraged” by political progress made in Lebanon since a new government was formed late last year, a senior official with the world body told the Lebanese Foreign Minister today.
During his first meeting with Ali Shami in Beirut today, Michael Williams, UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, said the two men conferred on the general situation in the Middle Eastern country and its “rich cooperation” with the UN in many fields.

The minister expressed his confidence about Lebanon’s future after the formation of the new Government and because of a better regional atmosphere, such as its improving relationship with Turkey.

“We discussed today some of Lebanon’s priorities in terms of political, social and economic development, and I relayed to the minister the readiness of the United Nations, through its many offices in Lebanon, to assist wherever necessary,” Mr. Williams told reporters.

They also talked about the implementation of Security Council resolution 1701, which called for a full cessation of hostilities between Israel and Hizbollah and greatly increased the UN peacekeeping force – known as UNIFIL – in the conflict zone.

Mr. Shami voiced concern over the daily Israeli air violations of Lebanese airspace and stressed the need for Israel’s complete withdrawal from Lebanon.

“These are violations of resolution 1701 and the United Nations continues to call on Israel to halt these violations in the strongest terms,” the Special Coordinator said, adding that the UN wants all sides to step up their efforts to implement the resolution.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Lebanon: UN again protests against Israeli over-flights

11 January 2010 – The United Nations peacekeeping mission in Lebanon has strongly protested to Israel over the significant number of over-flights in Lebanese airspace during the last few days in violation of a Security Council resolution ending the 34-day war between Israel and Hizbollah militants in 2006.
Such violations of Lebanese sovereignty tend to exacerbate local apprehensions and are in contravention of the mission’s objectives and efforts to reduce tensions and establish a stable security environment in south Lebanon, the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said, adding it had reported the incidents to the Council through the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO).

Since it was enlarged following the 2006 war, the 13,000-strong UNIFIL has continually protested the alleged repeated Israeli over-flights.

On Friday, it announced that, in close coordination with the Lebanese army, it was investigating a significant cache of explosives found in southern Lebanon near Israel, the latest such incident in the area where Israel and Hizbollah militants fought.

Last October there were two series of explosions in the area and other incidents included the firing of rockets into Israel, as well as repeated Israeli over-flights, all in violation of Council resolution 1701, which calls for an end to hostilities between Israel and Hizbollah, respect for the so-called Blue Line separating the Israeli and Lebanese sides, disarming of militias and an end to arms smuggling.

In an October report, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called disbanding militias in Lebanon “of vital importance” to the country’s democracy. “The threats posed by the existence of militias outside the control of the State, especially Hizbollah’s vast paramilitary infrastructure, cannot be overstated,” he said.

Statement attributable to the Spokesperson for the S.G. on the resignation of the Registrar of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, David Tolbert

The Secretary-General received the resignation of the Registrar of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon on 6 January 2010. It will be effective on 1 March 2010. The Secretary-General regrets the departure of Mr. Tolbert, who has decided to return to the United States to pursue his career.
The Secretary-General congratulates Mr. Tolbert on his new appointment as President of the International Center for Transitional Justice and is deeply grateful to him for the services he has rendered to the Organization. During Mr. Tolbert's tenure as the Registrar, the Special Tribunal has made excellent progress, and the Registry is an efficient and fully functioning office which is ready to support the judicial activities of the Special Tribunal. His achievements include ensuring that the administrative infrastructure is in place to support future judicial activities, including key measures such as for witness protection and court management. He has steered through the Tribunal's budget for 2010 and raised a significant amount of the necessary funding. The construction work on the courtroom of the Special Tribunal will be completed before Mr. Tolbert's departure.
Both the President of the Special Tribunal, Judge Antonio Cassese, and the Prosecutor, Mr. Daniel Bellemare, have paid tribute to the leadership that Mr. Tolbert has shown, and the contribution he has made to the efficient and effective functioning of the Special Tribunal.
The Secretary-General will appoint an acting Registrar as an interim measure to ensure the continued smooth functioning of the Registry and the Special Tribunal.

Friday, January 08, 2010

Lebanon: UN investigates large cache of explosives found near Israel

8 January 2010 – United Nations peacekeepers, in close coordination with the Lebanese army, are investigating a significant cache of explosives found in southern Lebanon near Israel, the latest such incident in an area where Israel and Hizbollah militants fought a 34-day war in 2006.
A patrol from the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) found the explosives on 26 December south of El Khiam after they had first noticed suspicious movement by five people, who then fled as they approached, spokesman Martin Nesirky told a news briefing today.

The investigation to identify the precise nature of the explosives and the circumstances under which they were found at the location is continuing. “We must await the findings of the investigation before we can make any final assessment and conclusion,” Mr. Nesirky said.

Last October there were two series of explosions in southern Lebanon. Other incidents included the firing of rockets into Israel as well as repeated Israeli over-flights of Lebanon, both of these violations of Security Council resolution 1701 of 2006, which calls for an end to hostilities between Israel and Hizbollah, respect for the so-called Blue Line separating the Israeli and Lebanese sides, disarming of militias and an end to arms smuggling.

In an October report, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called disbanding militias in Lebanon “of vital importance” to the country’s democracy. “The threats posed by the existence of militias outside the control of the State, especially Hizbollah’s vast paramilitary infrastructure, cannot be overstated,” he said.

Resolution 1701 expanded UNIFIL, which was already in the country following previous hostilities, and it currently numbers around 13,000 military personnel.