UN urges Israel, Lebanon guerrillas to end border violations

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, August 01, 2003

UN urges Israel, Lebanon guerrillas to end border violations

The United Nations SecurityCouncil on Thursday urged Israel and Lebanon's Hizbollah guerrillas to put an end to serious violations of a UN-designated border between two countries.

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The United Nations SecurityCouncil on Thursday urged Israel and Lebanon's Hizbollah guerrillas to put an end to serious violations of a UN-designated border between two countries.

The council "expresses great concern about the serious breachesand the air, sea and land violations of the withdrawal line, and urges the parties to put an end to these violations," it said in aresolution unanimously adopted.

In a report to the council earlier, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan listed Israel's frequent, sometimes daily, violations of Lebanon's airspace and Hizbollah's shelling of northern Israel as the "most significant sources" of tension in southern Lebanon.

The withdrawal line, officially known as Blue Line, was designated by the United Nations as a tentative border between Israel and Lebanon after the withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon in May 2000.

In the resolution, the Security Council urged the Lebanese government to "do its utmost to ensure a calm environment" in southern Lebanon, and called on Israel to provide Lebanon and UN peacekeepers there with additional maps to facilitate mine clearance efforts.

Based on Annan's recommendations, the council extended the mandate of the UN Interim Force (UNIFIL) in Lebanon for another six months until Jan. 31, 2004.

UNIFIL, created days after the occupation of southern Lebanon by Israel in March 1978, was mandated to confirm the withdrawal ofIsrael troops, help Beirut restore authority in southern Lebanon, and restore peace and security there. It currently has nearly 2,000 military personnel.

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