Annan presented with damning report
Photo: Reuters
Nasrallah – feeling the heat?
Photo: AFP
Annan: Dismantle Hizbullah
Damning report: United Nations report prepared by Terje Larsen charges Iran, Syria continue their involvement in Lebanon; Hizbullah blasts Larsen, charges U.N. envoy working on behalf of Israel
WASHINGTON – United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan called Wednesday for the dismantlement of Hizbullah and the setting of a border between Syria and Lebanon.
Annan's call came after he was presented with the third biannual report regarding the implementation of U.N. Resolution 1559 on the withdrawal of foreign forces and dismantlement of armed militias in Lebanon.
The report charges Iran and Syria are continuing their involvement in Lebanon and preventing the dismantlement of armed militias, topped by the Hizbullah. Special U.N. envoy Terje Larsen ruled that cooperation by all sides involved in the matter, "including Syria and Iran," is essential.
Resolution 1559 was implemented in part after Syrian forces left Lebanon. Now, Larsen is pressing for the implementation of the resolution's second part, which calls for the dismantlement of armed groups.
'Weapons continue to flow into south Lebanon'
According to the report, Hizbullah maintains close ties and holds regular contacts with both Syria and Iran, in contradiction of the Security Council's decision. A year and a half after the resolution was passed, no observable change regarding Hizbullah's operational capabilities and actions has taken place, the report says.
Larsen also says that Hizbullah continues to control southern Lebanon and that weapons, including Katyusha rockets, continue to flow into the area through Syria. According to Larsen, Lebanese military officials told him there are no operational constraints preventing the deployment of the Lebanese army along the border with Israel, but added that no political order to that effect was received.
Responding to the report, one of Hizbullah's 14 representatives in Lebanon's parliament said Larsen "was attempting to follow Israel's demands through the gates of Lebanon" and added that Resolution 1559 has been implemented in the eyes of the group.
