Security Council Distressed by U.N. Observers' Deaths in Lebanon
28 July 2006
Council statement appropriate and timely, U.S. envoy Bolton says
United Nations -- Responding to the deaths of four members of the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), the Security Council said July 27 that it was "deeply shocked and distressed" by Israel's firing on a UNIFIL post and called for an investigation into the incident.
The council extended condolences over the deaths of the four unarmed UNIFIL observers from Austria, Canada, China and Finland in a statement read by Council President Jean-Marc de La Sabliere of France at a formal public meeting.
"The Security Council is deeply concerned about the safety and security of U.N. personnel and in this regard stresses that Israel and all concerned parties must comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law … and underlines the importance of ensuring that U.N. personnel are not the object of attack," the presidential statement said.
The statement, which had to be agreed to by all 15 members of the Security Council, was the object of intense negotiations, primarily by the United States and China. The United States refused to accept any condemnation of Israel for the incident.
U.S. Ambassador John Bolton said July 26, "The United States deeply regrets the tragic deaths of the four UNIFIL officers. … Our condolences certainly go to the families of the deceased and to their governments."
The United States' objective is to make an "appropriate statement in a very timely fashion about the deaths of the four UNIFIL observers and not to make this statement a backdoor way of getting into a cease-fire or other larger political and military questions," the ambassador said. "That is not appropriate."
The focus of the Middle East efforts now should be on Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's continuing diplomatic efforts, he said. (See related article.)
Secretary-General Kofi Annan called the attack "an apparently deliberate targeting" of the U.N. observer post. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert expressed "deep regret" over the attack and has ordered a thorough investigation.
In its statement, the Security Council called on Israel "to conduct a comprehensive inquiry" and make the results public as soon as possible.
Israeli Ambassador Dan Gillerman said the presidential statement was "the right thing to do both in memory of the people who were killed doing their duty and also as a concern of the international community and the United Nations for the welfare of their people."
U. N. officials have said that on July 25 a total of 21 strikes occurred near the base at Khiyam. Twelve artillery rounds fell within 100 meters of the base, four of which hit the base directly. Throughout the day UNIFIL was in repeated contact with Israeli officers stressing the need to protect the base.
Since the fighting between Israel and Hizballah began July 12, UNIFIL has come under attack by both the Israel Defense Forces and Hizballah, the officials said.
Hizballah small arms fire forced UNIFIL to abort the escort of Lebanese civilians to safe areas and other humanitarian missions have been impeded, said Jane Lute, assistant secretary-general for peacekeeping operations. Four members of UNIFIL's Ghanaian battalion were injured slightly when an Israeli tank round hit their position. An unarmed observer was seriously wounded in crossfire on July 23.
UNIFIL's mandate expires at the end of July and the Security Council has to decide on issues concerning its future, Bolton said.
"First is what we do with the UNIFIL presence and mandate pending a resolution of the larger political issue," the ambassador said. The council is considering a temporary extension and the possible modification of the mandate.
Usually mandates are extended for six-month intervals, but in the current situation the extension should be less, the ambassador said.
Another consideration is protecting UNIFIL personnel and ensuring their safety. That should be up to UNIFIL commanders, Bolton said.
Annan has recommended the force mandate be extended for one month while all possible options for southern Lebanon are worked out.
UNIFIL, which has been in southern Lebanon for 28 years, currently has about 2,000 military personnel, 50 military observers and more than 300 civilian staff.
(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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