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Annan Urges Swift Completion of Verification in Lebanon
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan Friday urged the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) to urgently complete their verification of Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon.
The verification process has begun with a brief postponement due to technical problems, and more work will need to be done Saturday, Annan's spokesman said.
"Verification is the sole responsibility of UNIFIL, but the task will require the full cooperation of the parties, which the Secretary-General is confident of receiving," spokesman Fred Eckhard said.
U.N. teams continued to work with Israeli experts on Israel's side of the withdrawal line, and other U.N. teams, in tandem with Lebanese experts, will resume their verification work on the Lebanese side of the line Saturday, he confirmed.
Annan is expected to inform the Security Council in writing once the UNIFIL force commander, Maj. Seth-Kofi Obeng, reports to him on the verification teams' work, according to Eckhard.
Israel invaded Lebanon in 1978 and carved up a border strip as a so-called "security zone" in 1985 to allegedly protect its northern area from cross-border attacks by Lebanese Muslim guerrillas.
The U.N. Security Council adopted resolutions 425 and 426 after the Israeli invasion, demanding immediate and unconditional Israeli withdrawal.
The Jewish state decided earlier this year to pull out from Lebanon by July 7. However, it completed withdrawal of its troops from southern Lebanon on May 24.
Lebanon has rejected its military presence in southern Lebanon, claiming that some areas along the borderline are still occupied by Israel and insisting that its deployment in the south will be done only after the U.N. confirmation of full Israeli withdrawal.
The U.N. chief continued to follow very closely developments on the ground in Southern Lebanon, believing that the parties have come a long way: Israel towards complete withdrawal and Lebanon towards the reassertion of its sovereignty and territorial integrity, said Eckhard, adding that Annan voiced his wish for the verification process to be completed as soon as possible.
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