Mideast situation/Lebanon – Implementation of the Charter of National Reconciliation (Taif) – Letter from Lebanon

Letter dated 17 July 1990 from the Permanent Representative of Lebanon

to the United Nations addressed  to the Secretary-General

I have the honour to transmit to you herewith a copy of the Lebanese Government's programme for the implementation of the Charter of National Reconciliation, adopted earlier at Taif, which was published by the Council of Ministers on 11 July 1990.

I should be grateful if this letter and its annex could be circulated as an official document of the General Assembly, under item 35 of the preliminary list and of the Security Council.

(Signed)

Khalil MAKKAWI

Ambassador

Permanent Representative

_____________

*Reissued for technical reasons.

**A/45/50.

ANNEX

Programme of the Lebanese Government for the implementation

of the Charter of National Reconciliation

In view of developments in Lebanon and with the intention of ending the bloodshed, putting an end to the violence and facilitating the peace process, as well as in order to meet the aspirations of all Lebanese citizens, regardless of their religious or political affiliation, the Lebanese Government has adopted a programme for the implementation of the Charter of National Reconci liation, on the basis of the principles laid down in that Charter, with a view to finding a solution to the crisis, ensuring general reconciliation and promoting security and peace.

Legitimacy dictates that the prerequisites to be taken as a basis by all Lebanese parties in order to join in the process of reconciliation, security and peace and to participate in the current government should be as follows:

(a) Explicit approval of all points set out in the Charter of National Reconciliation, and a commitment not to obstruct implementation of the Charter in any way and to respect any laws promulgated by the National Assembly and ally decisions adopted by the Council of Ministers concerning the Charter, as well as any interpretation by the Council of the Charter – the Charter of National Reconciliation being regarded as the appropriate instrument tor putting an end to the unrest and fighting, liberating Lebanese territory and reconstructing a strong, just and democratic State that exercises full sovereignty over the whole of Lebanon and both protects and supports national independence;

(b) Recognition of the legitimacy of constitutional bodies and acceptance of their authority;

(c) Turning to advantage both the propitious international situation and the Arab role in support of the peace process, and consideration of Lebanese-Syrian ties, the overall framework of which was defined by the Charter of National Reconciliation, as a corner-stone for the propagation of peace and the consolidation of reconciliation in Lebanon, necessitating the establishment of fraternal relations between all the Lebanese parties and Syria;

(d) Recognition of the settlement of national differences among all Lebanese parties as a fundamental prerequisite and important pillar of the national reconciliation process, in order for such differences to be settled, no group may claim that it alone represents a religious denomination or a particular geographical area and no group may call for the exclusion of any other group that approves the above-mentioned prerequisites.

With a view to implementing the Charter of National Reconciliation and putting an end to the state of disruption resulting from the situation in East Beirut and some other regions, the Lebanese Government:

1. Requests the Lebanese National Assembly to convene in a special session in order to adopt the proposed constitutional reforms submitted to it by the Government in accordance with the Charter of National Reconciliation;

2. Appeals to former army commander General Michel Aoun to accept the above-mentioned prerequisites and to support the peace process, reconciliation and the rule of law, and urges all officers and military personnel, wherever they may be, to accept forthwith the authority of army commander General Emile Lahoud, so as to fulfil their national duty by extending the authority of the Lebanese State.  Any officer, non-commissioned officer or conscript who does not respond to this appeal by the date to be set by army commander General Emile Lahoud shall be dismissed from the armed forces and stripped of his rights;

3. Calls on the warring parties in Iqlim al-Tuffah to put an end to their fighting forthwith and to withdraw from that sector and return it to the legitimate authorities;

4. Considers that the recent statement of position by the Lebanese Forces is a step that must be complemented by practical action on their part in such a way as to facilitate the extension of the authority of the State and the law to regions currently controlled by the Lebanese Forces, and calls for adoption of the following procedures:

(a) The Lebanese Forces shall unequivocally declare that they respect the above-mentioned prerequisites;

(b) The Lebanese Forces shall withdraw from Beirut so that army units, under the leadership of General Emile Lahoud, and the internal security forces may take control of the Achrafieh district and its environs, of the Port of Beirut and of the Dock No.5, following which the administrative region of East and West Beirut shall be declared clear of all militias in preparation for the establishment of Greater Beirut;

(c) The Lebanese Forces shall hand over control of all the army barracks located at Beirut, Kesrouane and Jbail and return all war matériel (weapons, ammunition and equipment) to the legitimate army led by Emile Lahoud;

5. Emphasis is placed on the responsibility of the State to protect regions returned to its control, since the State alone is responsible for the security of the regions, and of the population of those regions and any attack on such regions shall be considered an attack on the State as a whole.  The State reaffirms that it is fully and unreservedly entitled to assume such responsibility and to fulfil the obligations deriving therefrom, without being bound by any restriction or condition.  Such responsibility shall extend to all regions where the military forces or militias that accept the above-mentioned procedure are assembled, including Kesrouane and Jbail;

6. The same treatment and criteria shall be extended to all militias, in accordance with the provisions of the Charter of National Reconciliation;

7. As an extension of the spirit of the Charter of National Reconciliation, the Lebanese State shall, with the co-operation of the Tripartite High Arab Committee and the Syrian Government, work towards the settlement of national differences among all Lebanese parties;

8. The Lebanese Government reaffirms that it will continue to fulfil its responsibilities towards the south, in particular by liberating the occupied part of the country and implementing Security Council resolution 425 (1978), and calls upon the international community to support it in such efforts.

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