Ban Ki-Moon: South Lebanon Situation Unstable, Unless 1701 is Implemented

In his 13th report on abiding by resolution 1701 which was handed in to the UN Security Council, Ban Ki-Moon considered that the situation in South Lebanon will remain unstable unless resolution 1701 was implemented, especially regarding the "Israeli" withdrawal of the occupied Lebanese territories.

He also referred to the importance of ending the "Israeli" violations against Lebanese sovereignty, and reinforcing the Lebanese government's potency. He further denied seizing any smuggled weapons to the area, stating that there are aspects that refer to the presence of organized troops in the UNIFIL bases in the south.

UN Secretary General confirmed that ending aggressive assaults through the Blue Line will be the best guarantee for maintaining serenity in the region. He also called upon all parties to abide by the reports' recommendations in order to adopt a permanent seize fire.

Ban Ki-Moon referred that he asked his special envoy to Lebanon, Michael Williams, to dialogue with specific parties, in order to achieve a permanent seize of fire, in cooperation with Head of UNIFIL troops.

He also demanded progress in this issue, by the upcoming months, stressing on the importance of the "Israeli" withdrawal from the Lebanese Gajar occupied territory, "without any delay", showing his worries from the constant "Israeli" violations of the Lebanese airspace.

In this context, UN Secretary General stressed on continuing the triple coordination between the Lebanese army, UNIFIL, and "Israeli" officials, calling upon Lebanese and "Israelis" to try their best and not violate the Blue Line. He also referred to the Lebanese Army's role in applying resolution 1701, praising its commitment to the issue.

As for the Lebanese President Michel Suleiman's meeting with his Syrian counterpart Bashar Assad over marking border lines between both countries, Ban Ki-Moon praised this meeting, affirming that he will continue his efforts to deal with the Sheba'a farms issue, demanding Syria to present him with a primary marking of the Sheba'a farms' region.