07 July 2010

Elias Sakr

Daily Star staff


BEIRUT: Domestic debate over recent incidents between peacekeeping forces and residents of south Lebanon heated up on Tuesday, when the Future Movement and Hizbullah argued over the prerogatives granted to the UNIFIL under UN Security Council Resolution 1701.

While Hizbullah accused “certain” contingents of the UN Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL) of surpassing their prerogatives and assisting Israel, the Future Movement bloc stressed that the peacekeeping forces should “not be used as a mailbox to deliver messages to their countries of origin or to serve certain regional interests.”

The incidents, which prompted top Lebanese officials and the Lebanese Army Command to intervene to contain the situation, precede UN Security Council discussions in August on the implementation of Resolution 1701, as well as the extension of UNIFIL’s mandate.

On Saturday, a UNIFIL patrol belonging to the French contingent was attacked by southern residents in the village of Qabrikha, with residents commandeering a soldier’s weapons and wounding the company leader.

The attack was the second of its kind in less than a week, after villagers from Khirbet Silim threw stones at a UNIFIL patrol, injuring two French peacekeepers last week, following large scale capacity-testing exercises by the force.

The incidents were followed by diplomatic contacts by President Michel Sleiman and Prime Minister Saad Hariri, who both expressed Lebanon’s commitment to Resolution 1701.

On Tuesday, Sleiman highlighted during talks with French Ambassador Dennis Pietton the “importance of UNIFIL’s presence in south Lebanon for the implementation of Resolution 1701.”

On Monday, the Lebanese prime minister briefed Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on the issue during a visit to Paris, stressing that the only reason for the presence of

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UNIFIL was “protecting Lebanon and nothing more.”

Hariri is scheduled to meet on Wednesday with French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

“UN Resolution 1701 determined UNIFIL’s role as an assisting one to the Lebanese state in spreading its authority over its territories rather than assisting the Israeli side,” Hizbullah MP Nawaf Moussawi said.

Echoing Moussawi, Hizbullah’s Loyalty to Resistance bloc MP Ali Miqdad said “the practices of UNIFIL during the past period imply certain masked intentions to provoke some issue with the residents in order to change the current pattern or situation or reality.” Miqdad also questioned the actions of certain members of the French legion.

In remarks published Monday, the pan-Arab daily Ash-Sharq al-Awsat quoted Hizbullah sources as accusing France of seeking to alter the UNIFIL’s rules of engagement and surpassing the prerogatives granted to peacekeeping forces.

But Miqdad added that “no party wants to change the rules of engagement in south Lebanon” as “matters were settled on the basis that every party commits to the mission assigned to him.”

Under Resolution 1701, UNIFIL is tasked with securing a weapons-free zone south of Litani River, coordinating its activities with Lebanon and Israel and assisting the Lebanese Army and state at its request.

Miqdad also emphasized that “the actions by residents were not coordinated but rather spontaneous.”

Commenting on the incidents, the Future Movement bloc said in a statement issued following its weekly meeting on Tuesday that Resolution 1701 was issued to protect Lebanon and guarantee the withdrawal of Israeli forces following the July 2006 aggression by Israel against Lebanon.

“Thus, it is Lebanon’s responsibility to commit to the implementation of the international resolution  including the protocol mentioned above,” the statement said in reference to protocol 12 of Resolution 1701.

Article 12 states that upon the request of the Lebanese government to deploy an international force to assist it in exercising its authority throughout its territory, “authorizes UNIFIL to take all necessary action in areas of deployment of its forces and as it deems within its capabilities, to ensure that its area of operations is not utilized for hostile activities of any kind.”

The Future Movement also stressed that the relation between UNIFIL and Lebanon should be restricted to state institutions, which are the defense and interior ministries under the supervision of the government.

“The bloc believes it is normal that all parties represented in the Cabinet commit to dealing with the Lebanese official authorities with regard to the implementation of Resolution 1701 and the organization of relations with UNIFIL,” the statement said.

Meanwhile, Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea said either domestic political motives tied to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon or regional ones tied to sanctions against Iran were behind the recent incidents in South Lebanon.

“Since the impact on the Lebanese state’s authority will be negative, the government should act fast,” Geagea said following a meeting with Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir.

“There are only few friendly states to Lebanon, particularly European states and especially France, so why make enemies for no price to serve interests that do not relate to Lebanon’s interests?” Geagea asked.

The LF leader added that the Lebanese state should be the one to intervene if UNIFIL surpassed its prerogatives under Resolution 1701. Otherwise, Lebanon and its people would face dangers, he added.

Meanwhile, the Central News Agency quoted diplomatic sources as saying that European states warned against any attempts to restrict the freedom of movement of international forces in south Lebanon or pressure them into overlooking any violations with regard to weapons’ warehouses.

“The diplomatic sources rejected the consideration of certain areas with restricted access to international forces and the Lebanese Army regardless of any circumstances,” the CNA quoted the sources as saying.

However, sources from the Spanish Embassy denied on Tuesday news carried by the CNA one day earlier that Italy, France and Spain would issue a joint statement on July 14 to express discontent over the recent skirmishes with UNIFIL.

The sources said the information was “baseless.”

According to the CNA on Tuesday, a security meeting is expected to take place on Wednesday between representatives of the Lebanese Army, UNIFIL and Hizbullah to agree upon a memo of understanding that would organize and promote cooperation between all parties.

Copyright The Daily Star 2010.