VZCZCXRO5034
OO RUEHROV RUEHTRO
DE RUCNDT #0968/01 3031732
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 301732Z OCT 09
FM USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7475
INFO RUEHXK/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHGG/UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 USUN NEW YORK 000968 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PTER UNSC LE IS SY
SUBJECT: SECURITY COUNCIL CONSULTATIONS ON USSCR 1559, 
OCTOBER 27 
 
REF: SECSTATE 110414 
 
¶1. (SBU) UN Special Envoy for the Secretary-General for 
Implementation of UNSCR 1559 Terje Roed-Larsen briefed the 
Security Council in consultation on October 27, 2009.  The 
positive part of his presentation centered on the restoration 
of full diplomatic relations between Lebanon and Syria and 
the successful Lebanese parliamentary elections.  However, 
his briefing also highlighted unfulfilled provisions of 1559, 
in particular the need for continued action on disarming 
Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias and demarcation of the 
Syria-Lebanon border and the threat posed by Hizballah's 
destabilizing activities.  Council members expressed support 
for Lebanon's sovereignty and the establishment of full 
diplomatic relations between Lebanon and Syria.  Most members 
viewed Hizballah's continued possession of arms, in violation 
of UNSCR 1559, as a threat to the Lebanese authorities, 
although the Libyan Deputy PermRep claimed that Hizballah was 
Lebanon's only defender during the 2006 Israeli attack.  A 
number of Council members expressed concerns about recent 
incidents in southern Lebanon.  Russia called for only 
"verified and confirmed" information about such incidents to 
be included in UN reports.  Most members noted Israeli 
overflights of Lebanon and continued occupation by Israel of 
northern Ghajar.  Several members called for upgrading the 
living conditions in the Palestinian refugee camps in 
Lebanon.  End summary. 
 
----------------- 
Larsen's Briefing 
----------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) Larsen noted partial successful implementation of 
UNSCR 1559, including Lebanon's holding of free and fair 
parliamentary elections and the establishment of full 
diplomatic relations between Lebanon and Syria.  He outlined 
the challenges ahead, including disarming Lebanese and 
non-Lebanese militias, noting that such militias are the most 
important continued threat to Lebanon.  He said that 
Hizballah maintains a substantial armed capacity and arsenal 
in contravention of UNSCR 1559, and that this is a direct 
challenge to the exercise of sovereignty by the Lebanese 
state.  He said that the series of incidents in Southern 
Lebanon over the past weeks indicates that Hizballah is 
engaging in acts that are detrimental to Lebanon's stability, 
and noted that the 1701 report due in November will have more 
details on these, including the October 12 explosion.  Larsen 
called on Syria and Lebanon to address the "dangerous 
anomaly" of their porous border.  He expressed concern that 
violence within Palestinian refugee camps could spill over to 
the rest of Lebanon and called for improvements in the camps' 
living conditions.  He noted that Israel has still not 
withdrawn from northern Ghajar and that diplomatic efforts to 
resolve the status of Shebaa Farms have yielded "no positive 
results."  Larsen noted that the UN protests and deplores all 
Israeli overflights.  He called on all parties to transcend 
sectarian interests in support of what is best for the nation 
of Lebanon and expressed hope about the formation of a new 
Lebanese government. 
 
--------------------- 
Lebanon's sovereignty 
--------------------- 
 
¶3. (SBU) Council members Burkina Faso, China, France, Mexico, 
Turkey, the United Kingdom, and Vietnam praised Lebanese 
parliamentary elections.  The French PermRep noted that voter 
turn out had been high and that the fragile stability that 
Lebanon has achieved thus far is "entirely reversible."  The 
Turkish Deputy PermRep said that a Hariri government is 
within reach and the Chinese Deputy PermRep said that a new 
government should be formed by January, when Lebanon joins 
the Council.  The Burkina Faso PermRep welcomed the "relative 
calm" that has developed under President Sulieman.  The 
Mexican PermRep called the calm atmosphere in which the 
elections took place a "sign of the success of Lebanon's 
democracy."  The Vietnamese PermRep called for all in Lebanon 
to adhere to the terms of the Doha Agreement. 
 
------------------------- 
Lebanese-Syrian Relations 
------------------------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) Most council members praised the establishment of 
full diplomatic relations between Lebanon and Syria.  Several 
noted specifically the need to demarcate the Syria-Lebanon 
border.  The Austrian PermRep called for the joint border 
commission to resume work "as soon as possible."  Japan, 
Russia and Turkey all noted the positive momentum that recent 
visits between the leaders of Syria and Saudi Arabia had for 
 
USUN NEW Y 00000968  002 OF 003 
 
 
efforts to stabilize in the region.  Austria, Burkina Faso, 
Russia, the UK, and Vietnam mentioned the outstanding issue 
of the Shebaa Farms.  Austria called for Lebanon to confirm 
that Shebaa Farms is part of Syria.  The Libyan Deputy 
PermRep said that since Lebanon and Syria have established 
full diplomatic relations, "any talk of continued Syrian 
interference in the internal affairs of Lebanon is useless 
lip-service."  He also complained that the report did not 
address any Israeli violations of 1559.  Larsen, in his 
comments at the end, drew the Libyan DPR's attention to the 
exact page and paragraph numbers in the report in which 
Israel's violations are discussed. 
 
--------- 
Hizballah 
--------- 
 
¶5. (SBU) Russia and France called on Hizballah to disarm in 
the framework of the Lebanese National Dialogue.  The Russian 
Deputy PermRep said that it is not appropriate to reduce the 
issue of disarming militias only to Hizballah, as most 
Palestinian factions in Lebanon are armed and "Islamic 
fighters find safe harbor near Palestinian refugee camps." 
Austria said that "the existence of arms (outside government 
control) is the obstacle to a permanent cease-fire between 
Lebanon and Israel."  The Libyan Deputy PermRep said that 
Hizballah was made into a military force by circumstances, 
and that during the 33 days of Israeli aggression in 2006, 
"the Security Council did not lift a finger to stop the 
aggression," and Lebanon found no one to defend it other than 
Hizballah.  He called Hizballah, "the only deterrent against 
Israel taking over Lebanese territory," and described 
Hizballah as a "political party contributing to the political 
life" of Lebanon.  He said that "Hizballah warded off Israeli 
aggression and defended the entire territory of Lebanon while 
fighting back against the most powerful military force in the 
Middle East, which is supported by the most powerful force in 
the world."  Finally, he regretted that the report focused on 
disarming militias, which he described as an internal matter 
for the sovereignty of Lebanon.  Both Russia and Libya said 
that incidents involving Hizballah outside of Lebanon are not 
in the purview of UNSCR 1559 and should not be included in 
future reports. 
 
---------------------- 
Incidents in the South 
---------------------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) Many council members noted the impact of recent 
security incidents in southern Lebanon on stability in 
Lebanon and the region.  France said it is clear from the 
July 14 incident in Khirbat Silim and October 12 explosion in 
Tay Falsay that the existence of armed militias poses a 
threat to the civilian population of Lebanon.  Austria noted 
that incidents in Khirbat Silim, Tay Falsay, as well as the 
firing of rockets at Israel on September 11, underscored the 
importance of keeping southern Lebanon a weapons free zone. 
The Croatian Deputy PermRep echoed Austrian concerns about 
the three incidents.  Burkina Faso said the explosions and 
firing of rocks demonstrated the lack of progress on full 
implementation of UNSCR 1559.  Uganda also noted concern over 
the incident at Tay Falsay.  The Russian Deputy PermRep 
reiterated several times that only "verified and confirmed" 
information should be considered in UN reports, but praised 
UNIFIL efforts to investigate these incidents.  Russia also 
noted that if the October 17 and 18 explosions in South 
Lebanon were indeed caused by the detonation of sensors 
placed by Israel, this would be "a clear violation of 
Lebanese sovereignty."  Larsen, in his response at the end to 
members' questions and comments, noted that the incidents in 
southern Lebanon would be addressed in the 1701 consultations 
on November 10. 
 
------------------------------- 
Israeli over flights and Ghajar 
------------------------------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) Austria, Burkina Faso, China, France, Japan, Mexico, 
Russia, the United Kingdom, and Vietnam all noted the 
continued Israeli presence in Ghajar in violation of the 
terms of UNSCR 1559.  Austria called on Israel to respond to 
the UN proposal on resolving the situation in Ghajar. 
Burkina Faso, China, Croatia, France, Japan, Mexico, Russia, 
Uganda, and Vietnam all mentioned violations of Lebanese 
airspace by Israel.  The Russian Deputy PermRep said that 
Israeli explanations about the need for overflights are "not 
adequate."  The Libyan Deputy PermRep condemned the daily 
"Israeli incursions by air, land, and sea." 
 
------------------------- 
 
USUN NEW Y 00000968  003 OF 003 
 
 
Palestinian Refugee Camps 
------------------------- 
 
¶7. (SBU) Austria, Burkina Faso, Japan, Mexico, and the UK 
noted the need to improve conditions in the Palestinian 
refugee camps.  The Austrian PermRep reminded members of the 
need to fulfill outstanding pledges for the reconstruction of 
the Nahr el Bared camp.  The Mexican PermRep called for the 
dismantling of Palestinian militia bases and for increased 
support for UNRWA to improve the living conditions for 
Palestinian refugees. 
Rice