VZCZCXRO0787
OO RUEHROV RUEHTRO
DE RUCNDT #1000/01 3052324
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 312324Z OCT 08
FM USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 5237
INFO RUEHXK/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RUEHGG/UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 USUN NEW YORK 001000 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER PBTS KPAL UNSC LE SY IS
SUBJECT: UNSC: UNSCR 1559 CONSULTATIONS - UN ENVOY CITES 
SOME PROGRESS BUT NONE ON DISARMAMENT OF MILITIAS 
 
REF: STATE 114981 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary: Terje Roed-Larsen briefed the Security 
Council October 30 that significant progress had been 
achieved in the implementation of UNSCR 1559 with the 
election of Lebanese President Sleiman, the adoption of a 
Lebanese electoral law, and the Lebanese-Syrian agreement to 
establish diplomatic relations.  He stressed that there was 
no progress toward the disbanding and disarmament of Lebanese 
and non-Lebanese militias, as required by both the 1989 Taif 
Agreement and UNSCR 1559.  He underlined the serious threat 
that both Hizballah and other non-Lebanese militias pose to 
the Lebanese government and called for all parties who 
maintain ties with Hizballah, in particular Syria and Iran, 
to support its transformation into a political party. 
Council members largely concurred with Larsen's statements 
and several agreed that their main concern was the lack of 
progress on disarming the militias.  During consultations, 
Larsen spoke more frankly and stressed the fragility of the 
Lebanese state and the need for continued international 
involvement.  He spoke against combining the UNSCR 1701 and 
1559 mandates on Lebanon for UN personnel security reasons 
since 1559 aggressively deals with militia disarmament while 
1701 involves peacekeepers.  The Russian DPR used the 
consultations to comment on the Syria-Iraq border incident at 
Abu Kamal and called for the "proper condemnation" of the 
violation of a member state's sovereignty.  End summary. 
 
Larsen briefs Council on 
UNSCR 1559 implementation 
------------------------- 
 
¶2.  (SBU) Terje Roed-Larsen, the Special Envoy of the 
Secretary-General for the implementation of UNSCR 1559, 
briefed an October 30 meeting of the Security Council on the 
Secretary-General's eighth semi-annual report on UNSCR 1559. 
(Note: The Mission e-mailed both the text of the report and 
Larsen's briefing to IO/UNP.)  Larsen reminded the Council 
that UNSCR 1559 is a support mechanism of the Security 
Council for the principles the Lebanese committed themselves 
to in the 1989 Taif Agreement -- the withdrawal of all 
foreign troops from the country and the disarming and 
disbanding of all Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias.  On the 
positive side, Larsen welcomed the progress over the last six 
months, including the election of President Sleiman, the 
adoption of a new electoral law, and the October 15 
announcement by the Foreign Ministers of Lebanon and Syria to 
establish diplomatic relations.  He said he looked forward to 
their opening of embassies and the full delineation of their 
common border, particularly where the border is uncertain or 
disputed.  He said the UN remains concerned with the "general 
porosity of the Syrian-Lebanese borders" and the permanent 
presence of para-military infrastructures belonging to 
Palestinian militia straddling the border.  He noted the 
continued violation of Lebanese airspace by Israeli aircraft 
and Israel's continued occupation of northern Ghajar, in 
violation of Lebanon's sovereignty and UNSCR 1701.  He said 
the Secretary-General received a letter October 16 from 
Lebanese Prime Minister Siniora expressing concerns at the 
threats by Israel against Lebanon.  Larsen said the 
Secretary-General is disturbed by the escalation of threats 
between Israel and Hizballah and urges all parties to cease 
their public discourse. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Larsen stressed that the events in May "served as a 
shocking illustration of how armed groups outside the control 
of the Government of Lebanon brought the country to a near 
state of collapse."  He stressed that there was no tangible 
progress towards the disbanding and disarming of militias, as 
required by both the Taif Agreement and UNSCR 1559.  He 
stressed that Hizballah remains the most significant Lebanese 
militia and that it maintains a "massive para-military 
infrastructure separate from the state, including a secure 
network of communications."  He said the Secretary-General 
"calls on Hizballah to comply with all relevant SC 
resolutions, and urges all parties which maintain close ties 
with it, in particular Syria and Iran, to support its 
transformation into a political party proper."   Larsen 
highlighted the serious threat posed by non-Lebanese armed 
groups, both Palestinian militia and the "emergence and 
apparent strengthening of extremist elements and foreign 
fighters based largely in and around Tripoli."  He noted that 
the "scares from last spring" may have prompted a rearmament 
of certain militias.  He cited with concern the "emerging 
pattern of lethal attacks against Lebanese Armed Forces, one 
of the most prominent symbols of authority of the state."  He 
reiterated the Secretary-General's conviction that the 
disarmament of Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias should 
taken place through a political process that results in the 
Lebanese government's monopoly on the use of force. 
 
USUN NEW Y 00001000  002 OF 003 
 
 
 
Council members express concern 
with lack of militia disarmament 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶4.  (SBU)  All fifteen Security Council members welcomed the 
Secretary-General's report and reiterated many of Larsen's 
points in their statements during consultations, October 30. 
They lauded President Sleiman's election, the adoption of the 
new electoral law, and the agreement establishing diplomatic 
relations between Lebanon and Syria.  South Africa repeated 
its long-held assertion that the delineation of borders and 
establishment of diplomatic relations are bilateral matters 
and should not be the purview of the Council.  Most members 
(with the exception of South Africa, Libya, and Indonesia) 
agreed that their main concern was the lack of progress on 
disarming Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias, especially 
Hizballah.  Libya emphasized that disarmament is an internal 
matter for the Lebanese government, and Indonesia said such a 
step must be through political dialogue.  Several, including 
the U.S., Italy, Belgium, Indonesia, and Croatia called for 
greater Lebanese efforts on border security and suggested 
international assistance/capacity-building.  Many delegations 
raised UNSCR 1701 issues, including France, Belgium, 
Indonesia, and Vietnam on the need for Israel's withdrawal 
from northern Ghajar and progress on the Sheba'a Farms. 
Libya specifically condemned Israel's continued occupation of 
northern Ghajar and Sheba'a and its overflights of Lebanon. 
Burkina Faso and Indonesia also noted the repeated Israeli 
overflights of Lebanon as a violation.  Costa Rica called for 
the Council to be objective and take a stand on both Israel 
and Syria's violations of its resolutions.  (Note: Mission 
drew heavily on reftel for U.S. remarks and added language 
concurring with the report's conclusion on the threats posed 
by non-Lebanese armed groups and noting U.S. support to 
UNRWA's emergency appeal for Lebanon, to which the 
Secretary-General's report refers.  End note.) 
 
Larsen stresses fragility of 
Lebanese state and need for 
continued international involvement 
----------------------------------- 
 
¶5.  (SBU) Larsen expressed his views more frankly at the end 
of the consultations in response to several questions posed 
by Ambassador Wolff.  He said that the Council should be 
incredibly proud of what it has done in Lebanon.  He said 
that without the Council's involvement, Israel would never 
have withdrawn, there would never have been parliamentary 
elections, nor Presidential elections in 2008.  He stressed, 
"The international component has been crucial and will be in 
the future."  He cited opinion polls commissioned in July by 
the International Peace Institute that showed 90 percent 
support for the Doha Agreement, 97 percent support for the 
rejection of force, 74 percent support for the UN,  and 80 
percent support for UNIFIL.  While the Lebanese state has 
made real strides, he said, it is fragile and remains 
vulnerable because of the militias and their rearmament.  He 
said the international community needs to continue its work 
in support of the Lebanese government.  He stressed that such 
support does not violate Lebanon's sovereignty since it is an 
international demonstration of support for the Taif Agreement 
and helps prevent destabilization and violence in Lebanon. 
 
Larsen urges against combining 
Council mandates on Lebanon 
------------------------------ 
 
¶6.  (SBU) The Panamanian DPR raised whether the UNSCR 1559 
implementation process should be combined with the UNSCR 1701 
process since the "comments tend to be the same."  He 
suggested grouping the two together as a single debate or 
looking at how to group the issues in a more coherent manner. 
 The South African expert, who delivered his state's remarks, 
spoke later and suggested that the Council should assess 
whether to restrict its remarks only to the specific 
resolution at hand or whether to merge the two resolutions. 
Larsen responded to both remarks stating that while it might 
be good in theory to group together the resolutions, in 
practice they had to be kept separate for personnel security 
reasons.  He said that UNSCR 1559 is an aggressive resolution 
that calls for the disbanding and disarmament of militias. 
If "lumped with UNSCR 1701, it would politicize 
peacekeepers," he emphasized.  (Comment: Mission agrees with 
Larsen's concerns about UN personnel security if UNSCRs 1559 
and 1701 are combined.  However, Mission believes it is worth 
having the Council's political coordinators review the 
frequency of reports and adjust their timing to reflect a 
more coherent approach to the Council's work on Lebanon and 
forestall Council fatigue on Lebanon.  End comment.) 
 
USUN NEW Y 00001000  003 OF 003 
 
 
 
Russia uses 1559 consultations to 
comment on Syria-Iraq border incident 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶7.  (SBU) Russia was the only country that raised the 
incident on the Syrian-Iraqi border at Abu Kamal during the 
consultations.  The Russian DPR, speaking second, raised the 
matter at the end of his remarks.  He said Russia viewed the 
event, which he ascribed to the U.S. military, with concern. 
Even though the action may have been taken to combat 
terrorism, he said there was a need for "proper condemnation" 
of the violation of a member state's sovereignty.  He then 
noted that there are appropriate mechanisms established for 
regional security, such as the Working Group on (Border) 
Security set up at Sharm al-Shaykh in 2007 and he said he 
hoped these could be used in the future.  No other Council 
members referred to the Russian remarks in their statements. 
Ambassador Wolff, speaking sixth, did not address the Russian 
remarks in the U.S. statement. 
Khalilzad