U.N. Security Council Presses for Lebanese Elections
05 May 2005
Council statement also calls for disarming of militias
The U.N. Security Council May 4 recognized the positive developments under way in Lebanon and urged all parties to move ahead with disarming militias and holding elections as scheduled.
In a presidential statement read during a formal meeting, the council welcomed Lebanon's decision to hold elections on May 29 and said "a delay in holding the parliamentary elections would contribute to exacerbating further the political divisions in Lebanon and threaten the security, stability, and prosperity of the country."
"The Security Council urges all concerned parties to do their utmost to safeguard Lebanon's stability and national unity and underlines the importance of national dialogue among all Lebanese political forces in this regard," the statement said.
The official statement was released shortly after the U.N. verification team charged with confirming the Syrian troop withdrawal came under fire from Palestinian militants in the Bekaa Valley. U.N. officials characterized the arms fire as "warning shots" and said no one was injured.
In addition, the head of the U.N. Electoral Assistance Division left for Lebanon May 4 to help the government prepare for the elections and coordinate the deployment of international observers, a U.N. spokesman said.
Ambassador Anne Patterson, the acting permanent U.S. representative to the United Nations, said that the United States was concerned about the incident with the verification team. "That shows how dangerous things still remain in Lebanon," she said.
The Security Council's statement, which reflects the unanimous agreement of all 15 council members, "recognizes the partial implementation of [Resolution] 1559 with the partial withdrawal of the Syrians from Lebanon, but it also makes clear that a lot more needs to be done to implement 1559, particularly the free and fair Lebanese elections and the disarming of the militia," Patterson said after the council meeting. "It is a very positive interim step."
She said Resolution 1559, which called for the withdrawal of all foreign forces from Lebanon, "has been very successful in persuading the Syrians to withdraw their troops and also setting up the environment in which free and fair Lebanese elections could take place."
"But it is important that the council maintains momentum ... maintains pressure" to ensure that the other parts of the resolution are implemented, the ambassador said.
Following is the text of the Security Council presidential statement:
(begin text)
U.N. Security Council
[New York, New York
May 4, 2005]
Security Council Presidential Statement following the First semi-annual Report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of Security Council resolution 1559 (2004)
The Security Council recalls all its previous resolutions on Lebanon, in particular resolutions 1559 (2004), 425 (1978) and 426 (1978), resolution 520 (1982) and resolution 1583 (2005) of 28 January 2005 as well as the statements of its President on the situation in Lebanon, in particular the statement of 18 June 2000 (S/PRST/2000/21) and of 19 October 2004 (S/PRST/2004/36).
The Security Council reiterates its strong support for the territorial integrity, sovereignty and political independence of Lebanon within its internationally recognized borders and under the sole and exclusive authority of the Government of Lebanon.
The Security Council welcomes the First semi-annual Report of the Secretary-General to the Security Council of 26 April 2005 (S/2005/272) on the implementation of Security Council resolution 1559 (2004).
The Security Council welcomes also that the parties concerned have made significant and noticeable progress towards implementing some of the provisions contained in Resolution 1559 (2004), while expressing concern at the determination of the Secretary-General that there has been no progress on the implementation of other provisions of the resolution, in particular the disarmament of Lebanese and non-Lebanese militia and the extension of the control of the Government of Lebanon over all Lebanese territory, and that the requirements of the resolution have not yet been met.
The Security Council reiterates its call for the full implementation of all requirements of Resolution 1559 (2004), and calls upon all concerned parties to cooperate fully with the Security Council and the Secretary-General to achieve this goal.
The Security Council acknowledges the letter of 26 April 2005 from the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Syrian Arab Republic to the Secretary-General stating that Syria has completed the full withdrawal of its forces, military assets and the intelligence apparatus from Lebanon.
The Security Council calls upon the Government of Syria and the Government of Lebanon to extend their full cooperation to the United Nations verification team dispatched by the Secretary-General with their agreement to verify whether there has been full and complete withdrawal, and looks forward to his report.
The Security Council acknowledges that the full and complete Syrian withdrawal would represent a significant and important step towards Lebanon's full political independence and full exercise of its sovereignty that is the ultimate goal of resolution 1559 (2004), thus opening a new chapter in Lebanese history.
The Security Council welcomes the deployment of Lebanese Armed Forces to positions vacated by Syrian forces and the Government of Lebanon's assumption of responsibility for these areas and calls for the deployment of additional Lebanese Armed Forces throughout the south of the country.
The Security Council urges all concerned parties to do their utmost to safeguard Lebanon's stability and national unity and underlines the importance of national dialogue among all Lebanese political forces in this regard.
The Security Council commends the Lebanese people for the dignified manner in which they have expressed their views and for their commitment to a peaceful and democratic process, and stresses that the Lebanese people must be allowed to decide the future of their country free of violence and intimidation. It condemns in this context the recent terrorist acts in Lebanon that have resulted in several deaths and injuries, and calls for their perpetrators to be brought to justice.
The Security Council welcomes the decision of the Lebanese Government to conduct elections beginning on 29 May 2005, and underlines the importance that such elections be held according to schedule. The Security Council shares the opinion of the Secretary-General that a delay in holding the parliamentary elections would contribute to exacerbating further the political divisions in Lebanon and threaten the security, stability and prosperity of the country. The Council underlines that free and credible elections held without foreign interference or influence would be another central indication of the political independence and sovereignty of Lebanon.
The Security Council encourages the Secretary-General and the Lebanese Government to reach arrangements for international assistance, including United Nations assistance, to ensure that such elections are conducted in a free and credible manner, in particular through inviting international governmental and/or non-governmental electoral observers to monitor the electoral process. The Council urges Member States to extend assistance accordingly.
The Security Council commends the Secretary-General and his Special envoy for their relentless efforts and dedication to facilitate and assist the parties in the implementation of all provisions of Resolution 1559 (2004), and requests that they continue their work in this regard.
The Security Council shares the view that the full implementation of resolution 1559 would contribute positively to the situation in the Middle-East in general.
(end text)
(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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