Tuesday, February 14, 2017

Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General Feb 14 2017

Excerpt  

**Lebanon
We've been asked about recent remarks attributed to President Michel Aoun of Lebanon concerning Hizbullah's weapons.

I'd like to recall that Security Council resolutions 1559, 1680 and 1701 clearly call for the disbanding and disarmament of all Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias.  Previous reports by the Secretary-General have said that militias should be disarmed and that the maintenance of arms by Hizbullah and other groups outside the control of the State restricts Lebanon's ability to exercise its full sovereignty and authority over its territory.

We consider continued adherence to all relevant resolutions to be of vital importance to Lebanon's stability.  We encourage Lebanon to seize the current political momentum to resume discussions on a National Defense Strategy as part of a Lebanese-led and Lebanese-owned process.