Bolton: Lebanon Covered Up Arms Smuggling
Bolton: Lebanon Covered Up Arms Smuggling
Original here
BY BENNY AVNI - Staff Reporter of the Sun
New York Sun, October 31, 2006
UNITED NATIONS — Fearing Syrian retaliation, Lebanese politicians have failed to disclose information about the illegal flow of arms to Hezbollah, the American ambassador to the United Nations said.
John Bolton spoke to reporters yesterday after a closed-door U.N. Security Council briefing on the implementation of U.N. resolutions on Lebanon, which call for an arms embargo on all Lebanese militias. Lebanese politicians, as well as the new European-led U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon, have been hesitant to confront Hezbollah and prevent from being rearmed.
Defense Minister Amir Peretz of Israel said last week that the flow of arms to the Islamist terrorist group has intensified recently, but Secretary-General Annan's special envoy to oversee the implementation of Security Council resolution 1559, Terje Roed-Larsen, told the council yesterday that he could not say whether more weapons have been smuggled to Hezbollah.
"In order to have an effective arms embargo," Mr. Roed-Larsen told The New York Sun, "there has to be cooperation from all regional partners," specifically Iran and Syria.
The government of Lebanon has informed the United Nations "that there are indeed arms which are coming over the border," Mr. Roed-Larsen said. However, he added, "They cannot give us any specifics in the form of information on volumes and types of weapons."
Lebanese politicians may be afraid of angering Syria, Mr. Bolton said. In yesterday's closed-door session, Mr. Roed-Larsen told the council that "he had received info from the government of Lebanon about the resupply of Hezbollah, in violation of the arms embargo," Mr. Bolton said."But the government was afraid to be specific about these arms coming across the Syrian-Lebanese border because of fear of retaliation."
Mr. Bolton added, "The absence of complete cooperation by the government of Syria remains very troubling in that respect. And I think it's very courageous for any of the democratic politicians in Lebanon to go on about their business under that kind of threat."
The Syrian ambassador to the United Nations, Bashar Jaafari, denied that weapons have been passing across his country's border with Lebanon. He told reporters that Syria has given information to the Lebanese defense and foreign ministers that disprove reports of weapons smuggling.
Mr. Jaafari also said he had "no information" on threats that would make Lebanese officials afraid to report weapons violations. "Those who spread these lies are the ones threatening the peace and stability in Lebanon," Mr. Jaafari told Al-Arabiya TV.
The arms debate surrounding Hezbollah and other armed militias in Lebanon — over how, or even whether, to collect illegal weapons — has been contentious since the Security Council passed resolution 1559 in 2004, and that debate only intensified after the council passed resolution 1701 this summer.
The French ambassador to the United Nations, Jean-Marc de la Sabliere, said his country is convinced that disarmament should be done as part of a "national dialogue." He added yesterday that he has no information that anyone is breaking the arms embargo.
Israel, which was recently accused of violating the U.N. resolutions by flying over Lebanon, has said it will continue the flights as long as Hezbollah remains armed and the flow of weapons into southern Lebanon is not stopped. Jerusalem has accused Syria and Iran of being Hezbollah's main arms suppliers.
Lebanon so far has declined to ask the new, larger UNIFIL for help in closing off its border with Syria to enforce the arms embargo. For its part, Syria has promised Mr. Annan that it will guard its border to prevent arms smuggling. Yesterday, Mr. Jaafari said Europe had declined a Syrian request for help in putting a stop to the flow of arms.
Original here
BY BENNY AVNI - Staff Reporter of the Sun
New York Sun, October 31, 2006
UNITED NATIONS — Fearing Syrian retaliation, Lebanese politicians have failed to disclose information about the illegal flow of arms to Hezbollah, the American ambassador to the United Nations said.
John Bolton spoke to reporters yesterday after a closed-door U.N. Security Council briefing on the implementation of U.N. resolutions on Lebanon, which call for an arms embargo on all Lebanese militias. Lebanese politicians, as well as the new European-led U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon, have been hesitant to confront Hezbollah and prevent from being rearmed.
Defense Minister Amir Peretz of Israel said last week that the flow of arms to the Islamist terrorist group has intensified recently, but Secretary-General Annan's special envoy to oversee the implementation of Security Council resolution 1559, Terje Roed-Larsen, told the council yesterday that he could not say whether more weapons have been smuggled to Hezbollah.
"In order to have an effective arms embargo," Mr. Roed-Larsen told The New York Sun, "there has to be cooperation from all regional partners," specifically Iran and Syria.
The government of Lebanon has informed the United Nations "that there are indeed arms which are coming over the border," Mr. Roed-Larsen said. However, he added, "They cannot give us any specifics in the form of information on volumes and types of weapons."
Lebanese politicians may be afraid of angering Syria, Mr. Bolton said. In yesterday's closed-door session, Mr. Roed-Larsen told the council that "he had received info from the government of Lebanon about the resupply of Hezbollah, in violation of the arms embargo," Mr. Bolton said."But the government was afraid to be specific about these arms coming across the Syrian-Lebanese border because of fear of retaliation."
Mr. Bolton added, "The absence of complete cooperation by the government of Syria remains very troubling in that respect. And I think it's very courageous for any of the democratic politicians in Lebanon to go on about their business under that kind of threat."
The Syrian ambassador to the United Nations, Bashar Jaafari, denied that weapons have been passing across his country's border with Lebanon. He told reporters that Syria has given information to the Lebanese defense and foreign ministers that disprove reports of weapons smuggling.
Mr. Jaafari also said he had "no information" on threats that would make Lebanese officials afraid to report weapons violations. "Those who spread these lies are the ones threatening the peace and stability in Lebanon," Mr. Jaafari told Al-Arabiya TV.
The arms debate surrounding Hezbollah and other armed militias in Lebanon — over how, or even whether, to collect illegal weapons — has been contentious since the Security Council passed resolution 1559 in 2004, and that debate only intensified after the council passed resolution 1701 this summer.
The French ambassador to the United Nations, Jean-Marc de la Sabliere, said his country is convinced that disarmament should be done as part of a "national dialogue." He added yesterday that he has no information that anyone is breaking the arms embargo.
Israel, which was recently accused of violating the U.N. resolutions by flying over Lebanon, has said it will continue the flights as long as Hezbollah remains armed and the flow of weapons into southern Lebanon is not stopped. Jerusalem has accused Syria and Iran of being Hezbollah's main arms suppliers.
Lebanon so far has declined to ask the new, larger UNIFIL for help in closing off its border with Syria to enforce the arms embargo. For its part, Syria has promised Mr. Annan that it will guard its border to prevent arms smuggling. Yesterday, Mr. Jaafari said Europe had declined a Syrian request for help in putting a stop to the flow of arms.
posted by JDS at 4:42 AM
<< Home