http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/857129.html Ban: Illegal arms regularly reach Hezbollah via Syrian border <file:///C:/hasen/images/0.gif> By Reuters <file:///C:/hasen/images/0.gif>
UNITED NATIONS - Illegal arms traffic into Lebanon across the Syrian border, mainly to Hezbollah fighters, is reported to be taking place on a regular basis, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Monday. In a report to the UN Security Council, Ban said news of arms shipments, including "detailed and substantial" reports from Israel, and other nations, showed the need for a team he was sending to propose ways of monitoring of the border. "Such transfers are alleged to be taking place on a regular basis," Ban wrote. "I am deeply worried that the political crisis in Lebanon may be deepened and exacerbated" by arms smuggling, most of which are reported to reach the opposition Shi'ite Muslim Hezbollah movement. <file:///C:/hasen/images/0.gif> The secretary-general was reporting on resolution 1559, adopted in 2004 that called for all foreign forces to withdraw from Lebanon and for the Beirut government to assert its control throughout the country. Two years ago all Syrian troops left Lebanon. Syria has repeatedly denied any involvement in arms trafficking and told Ban, during his April 24 trip to Damascus, that it would work with the United Nations toward "peace and stability" in the region. Ban also singled out Israel Air Force jets and unmanned aerial overflights and said again he had asked the government to "cease fully" these "violations of Lebanon sovereignty." Lebanon is going through its worst political crisis since the 1975-90 civil war, marked by a series of murders of anti-Syrian figures, which many in the government blame on Damascus. Syria has denied involvement. Hezbollah, backed by Iran and Syria, says it gained strength when Israel invaded last summer in retaliation for the abduction of two Israel Defense Force reserve soldiers in a cross-border raid. Hezbollah and other pro-Syrian political figures call the current pro-Western government illegal. Ban noted that the prolonged political crisis has paralyzed Lebanon, raising fears that agreements in the aftermath of the civil war "may unravel, lead to widespread rearming and thus raise the specter of renewed confrontation" among Lebanese. "I am concerned that the existing public and media discourse - whether based on evidence or speculative - may in fact accelerate, if not prompt, a domestic arms race in Lebanon, with unforeseeable consequences," Ban warned. Ban, in his report, stressed the necessity of demarcating the Lebanese-Syrian border and for diplomatic relations to be established between Beirut and Damascus as an "important measure to affirm strict respect for Lebanon's sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence." He also said that there was a growing threat from armed "extremist Islamist groups" who have found safe haven in Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: [email protected] Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. OSINT, as a part of The Intelligence Network, is making it available without profit to OSINT YahooGroups members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of intelligence and law enforcement organizations, their activities, methods, techniques, human rights, civil liberties, social justice and other intelligence related issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
