VZCZCXRO3803
OO RUEHBZ RUEHROV
DE RUCNDT #1177/01 3511644
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 171644Z DEC 07
FM USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3352
INFO RUEHGG/UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RUEHXK/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 USUN NEW YORK 001177 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PTER KPKO UNSC SY IS LE
SUBJECT: LEBANON: COUNCIL DEBATE ON UNSCR 1701 CONFIRMS 
FAMILIAR DIVIDE 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary.  During closed UNSC consultations on 
December 12, UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Geir Pedersen 
reported that Lebanon's continuing political impasse had 
prevented further progress on the implementation of 
resolution 1701.  He called for presidential elections to be 
held as soon as possible, fretting that "another red line" 
had been crossed with the assassination of LAF General 
el-Hajj earlier that day and arguing the interim arrangement 
is not sustainable.  Pedersen welcomed the Council's emphasis 
on the "whole" 1701 resolution, agreeing the Council should 
not "pick and chose" among its obligations.  He termed 
reported illegal arms transfers across the Syrian-Lebanese 
border a "serious" matter, but refrained from specifically 
calling on Syria or Iran to comply with their obligations 
under UNSCR 1701.  He called on the new GOL to prioritize the 
re-launch of a political process to address the issue of 
disarmament.  On Sheba'a, Pedersen said progress beyond the 
SYG's provisional territorial definition would require the 
sustained efforts of Lebanon, Syria, and Israel, and that the 
SYG intends to consult with all relevant parties on the way 
forward.  DPKO A/SYG Edmund Mulet emphasized that UNIFIL had 
found no/no evidence of Hizballah re-armament south of the 
Litani river (UNIFIL's area of operations), despite general 
Israeli claims to the contrary.  Pedersen clarified that the 
UN did not/not hold the same view of arms transfers north of 
the Litani river.  Mulet reported no progress on resolving 
the issue of Ghajjar and decried continuing Israeli 
overflights of Lebanon.  Both Mulet and Pedersen criticized 
Israel for its refusal to hand over detailed strike data on 
its use of cluster bombs in south Lebanon. 
 
¶2. (SBU) Summary cont'd.  During member state interventions, 
most delegations joined Amb Khalilzad in condemning the 
el-Hajj assassination and calling for elections to be held 
immediately.  Russia said the right response to the 
assassination would be for Lebanese leaders to intensify 
efforts to find a "consensus" solution to the presidential 
election issue.  Although European delegations joined Amb 
Khalilzad in expressing concern about illegal arms transfers 
into Lebanon and called on Syria and Iran to comply with 
their obligations under resolution 1701, Russia and South 
Africa disputed the veracity of these allegations, while 
other delegations just ignored the issue.  All delegations 
except the U.S. specifically criticized Israel for its 
continuing overflights of Lebanese territory and its refusal 
to provide the SYG with detailed strike data on its use of 
cluster bombs in south Lebanon.  Most delegations welcomed 
the provisional territorial definition of the Sheba'a Farms 
presented in the SYG's report and urged the Secretariat to 
continue to make progress on this issue.  France and Italy 
urged the SYG to help the parties reach an agreement on the 
territorial definition of the area.  Most delegations 
supported France's intention to seek a UNSC reaction to the 
SYG's report on UNSCR 1701.  End Summary. 
 
Secretariat: Political Impasse Threatens 1701 
 
SIPDIS 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
¶3. (SBU) Decyring the assassination of el-Hajj just after the 
eighth postponement of the presidential election, Pedersen 
said the prolonged absence of agreement on the presidential 
election is not sustainable, arguing the interim arrangement 
"threatens the very foundations of the Lebanese state" and 
has prevented further progress on implementation of UNSCR 
¶1701.  He said the fact that the LAF had been targeted was a 
troubling development that crossed "another red line" in 
Lebanon that had provoked fears of another civil war.  He 
described the "reported violations" of the arms embargo 
across the Lebanese-Syrian border as a "serious matter." He 
praised GOL efforts to implement the LIBAT recommendations to 
improve border security, however.  On Sheba'a, he said the 
provisional definition of the area represented an "important 
step forward," but maintained that further progress would 
require the "concerted and sustained efforts of the Lebanese, 
Syrian, and Israeli governments."  The SYG "intends to 
consult with all relevant parties and UNSC members on next 
steps" and believes that "progress on this issue is 
essential" to UNSCR 1701 implementation.  On the abducted 
Israeli soldiers, Pedersen said reiterated the resolution's 
call for the soldiers' immediate and unconditional release 
and noted that during facilitation, "solutions for most of 
the Lebanese cases have been found." 
 
¶4. (SBU) In his briefing, Mulet reported that UNIFIL and/or 
the LAF had found old arms stockpiles in south Lebanon.  But 
"to date," UNIFIL "had not found evidence of Hizballah 
rebuilding its weapons capability south of the Litani river." 
 He said UNIFIL remains ready to investigate specific 
information to the contrary, but so far the IDF has only 
provided information of a "generic mature," and UNIFIL and/or 
 
USUN NEW Y 00001177  002 OF 003 
 
 
the LAF have been unable to exploit this to find "concrete" 
evidence to back up the allegations.  Mulet also discounted 
Hizballah claims that it had carried out maneuvers in south 
Lebanon on November 6th.  He reported no/no progress on 
resolving the issue of Ghajjar and decried continuing Israeli 
overflights of Lebanese territory.  Both Mulet and Pedersen 
criticized Israel for its refusal to provide strike data on 
its use of cluster bombs in south Lebanon.  Noting that 26 
civilians have been killed from unexploded ordnance since the 
war, Pedersen maintained that "Israel's non-responsiveness on 
this issue is a cause for deep concern."  Turning to 
disarmament, Pedersen called on Lebanon's new government to 
"exert every effort to re-initiate a political process that 
eventually leads to the disarmament of all militias."  He 
noted that Hizballah SYG has stated that discussion of 
Hizballah's weapons should take place "in the context of a 
dialogue that addresses the country's national defense 
strategy."  Pedersen concluded his briefing by welcoming the 
Council's emphasis on implementation of the "whole" 1701 
resolution, rejecting a "pick and choose" approach to the 
resolution's obligations. 
 
U.S. Focus on Elections and Outside Interference 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
¶5. (SBU) Arguing that the assassination of el-Hajj was "aimed 
at undermining Lebanon's sovereignty," Amb Khalilzad said the 
attack underscored the need to hold presidential elections 
without delay.  He urged those blocking the election to cease 
linking non-constitutional demands to the vote and expressed 
full confidence in the GOL in managing country until a new 
president takes office.  Amb Khalilzad commended UNIFIL, in 
particular for the checkpoints and patrols it has established 
along the Litani river, and urged further progress in 
trilateral talks on the issues of Ghajjar, unexploded 
ordnance, and marking the Blue Line.  He emphasized our deep 
concern about illegal arms transfers across the 
Syrian-Lebanese border and supported the SYG's call on Syria 
and Iran to comply with the arms embargo. 
 
¶6. (SBU) Amb Khalilzad welcomed initial progress on 
implementing the LIBAT recommendations and urged further 
steps.  He insisted that all militias, including Hizballah, 
must disarm now, and he called for the release of the 
abducted Israeli soldiers.  On Sheba'a, Amb Khalilzad 
commended the UN cartographer for presenting a provisional 
territorial definition of the area, but emphasized that a 
permanent solution to the issue remains contingent on 
Syrian-Lebanese border delineation.  Lastly, recalling the 
successful conference at Annapolis a few weeks ago, Amb 
Khalilzad noted that the Council already has a roadmap to a 
long-term cease-fire and permanent solution between Israel 
and Lebanon -- resolution 1701 -- and urged all sides to 
recommit themselves to its full implementation. 
 
Delegates Call for Election and Dialogue 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶7. (SBU) After condemning the assassination of General 
el-Hajj, most delegations agreed with Pedersen that the 
attack underscored the need to move forward with elections 
now as a means to ensure stability and security in Lebanon. 
France and the UK urged elections be held "now" and 
underscored that the political impasse should not hold up 
implementation of resolution 1701.  Noting that the el-Hajj 
attack was carried out when Lebanese leaders were close to an 
agreement, Russia said the right response lies in the further 
"consolidation" of Lebanese politics and an election "by 
consensus."  China did not explicitly call for consensus but 
expressed hope for a "comprehensive" solution to the 
political impasse as soon as possible. 
 
Several Contest Illegal Arms Transfers 
-------------------------------------- 
 
¶8. (SBU) Although France, the UK, Slovakia, and Peru joined 
Amb Khalilzad in expressing concern about illegal arms 
transfers into Lebanon and called on Syria and Iran to comply 
with their obligations under resolution 1701, other 
delegations either ignored the issue or disputed the veracity 
of the allegations.  Russia argued that critical assessments 
of Syria and Iran "were not supported by facts," and that the 
UN "must only use information beyond doubt and fully 
verified."  The Russian DPR emphasized that the UN had found 
"no specific evidence" of violations of the arms embargo in 
southern Lebanon.  South Africa rejected "mere assertions" of 
arms transfers and chided the Secretariat for endorsing such 
claims.  Qatar, Indonesia, Panama, and Italy did not mention 
the issue at all.  China noted that the issues raised by the 
SYG in his report related to the arms embargo "deserve 
 
USUN NEW Y 00001177  003 OF 003 
 
 
attention," and that the GOL should increase its border 
security capacity and increase its cooperation with the 
parties concerned in response. 
 
Overflights and Cluster Bombs 
Draw Near-Universal Criticism 
----------------------------- 
 
¶9. (SBU) All delegations except the U.S. specifically 
criticized Israel for its continuing overflights of Lebanese 
territory and its refusal to provide the SYG with detailed 
strike data on its use of cluster bombs in south Lebanon. 
Many delegations, including the UK, characterized overflights 
as a "breach of resolution 1701."  France said the practice 
should end.  Indonesia, Qatar, and South Africa argued the 
damage caused to the GOL and UNIFIL by overflights could not 
be overstated; the practice undermined the credibility of the 
resolution.  They all called on the SC to call on Israel to 
end this practice.  Similarly, Indonesia argued that Israel 
must be "forced" to provide cluster bomb data "as soon as 
possible." 
 
SYG Should Move Forward on Sheba'a 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶10. (SBU) Most delegations welcomed the provisional 
territorial definition of the Sheba'a Farms presented in the 
SYG's report and urged the Secretariat to continue to make 
progress on this issue.  France and Italy termed Sheba'a 
"crucial to a lasting political solution" and urged the SYG 
to help the parties reach an agreement on the territorial 
definition of the area.  The UK similarly looked forward to a 
"process" that would capitalize on the area's territorial 
definition.  Russia expressed hope for "further 
consideration" by the SYG on this issue and reminded members 
that Israel, which currently occupies Sheba'a, must be part 
of a settlement on the issue.  Panama said the demarcation of 
the Sheba'a Farms is an important part of the regional peace 
process and argued the P-5 have a special responsibility to 
move this issue forward.  Qatar and South Africa called on 
Israel to "stop its occupation" of Sheba'a to enable 
Syrian-Lebanese border delineation.  Most delegations 
supported France's intention to seek a UNSC reaction to the 
SYG's report on UNSCR 1701. 
Khalilzad