Lebanon's envoy to UN stresses need to follow resolutions, reform Security Council

Daily Star
Staff Writers
November 15, 2007

BEIRUT: Ambassador Nawaf Salam, Lebanon's representative to the United Nations, highlighted the importance of UN Security Council resolutions involving Lebanon and warned against any postponement of their implementation, An-Nahar reported on Wednesday.

"Salam has also stressed the need to reform the UN Security Council in an effort to increase its efficiency," the newspaper reported.

Salam made his comments during a session held by the UN Security Council to discuss the work it had achieved during the past year.

"Lebanon has a long history with the UN Security Council," Salam said. "Resolutions pertaining to Lebanese causes have been issued since 1978, in the aftermath of the first Israeli invasion of South Lebanon."

"The latest has been Resolution 1701, which was issued on August 12, 2006, following the summer 2006 war with Israel," he added.

In addition to putting an end to the 34-day hostilities, Resolution 1701 called for the disarmament of militias in Lebanon and the establishment of an arms-free buffer zone south of the Litani River.

"My government has abided by the resolution, particularly when it comes to the deployment of the Lebanese Army in the South, while Israel continues to violate Lebanon's airspace and land," the ambassador to the UN said. "Israel also refuses to submit maps of mines and cluster bombs spread across the South."

Salam said that the delays in implementing international resolutions, or worse, their nonimplementation "cause severe dangers," which he said, "affect the credibility of the Security Council."

"It is necessary to start reforming the council by promoting its apparatus and developing its work styles not only to guarantee transparency and allow countries to obtain information and documents ... but also to give the relevant countries a share in deliberations that take place while discussing any resolution or statement pertaining to them," he said.

"Our aim is to reach a more representative, more democratic, more efficient and more just Security Council," he added.

Salam said that over the past year the Security Council had held 224 official meetings, 192 deliberation sessions, and received 52 presidential statements, adopting, in the process, 71 resolutions and issued 47 press releases.

"This increase in the activity of the council is undoubtedly caused by the increase of conflicts and crises in several parts of the world," he said. "Therefore, it is important to reform this council in order to increase its efficiency and maintain international peace and security while respecting the principles of international law."