Violations across the Blue Line – Letter from Lebanon

Letter dated 12 January 2004 from the Permanent
Representative of Lebanon to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General

  On instructions from my Government, I transmit to you herewith a list of violations on the ground committed by Israel on 1 January 2004:

 –   At 12.45 p.m., a group of seven soldiers of the Israeli enemy entered Lebanon from the Shab`a farms, went to the liberated village of Bastarah south of the Halta farm and took up a position at the temporary site of the Indian battalion, where they harassed the local farmers and shepherds. At 2 p.m., they returned to the occupied farms.

 –   During this time, international emergency force patrols and Lebanese security forces headed towards the point of entry.

 –   It was established that the enemy force had crossed the barbed wire barrier around the occupied farms sector and had gone to the village of Bastarah, from which the Israeli enemy had withdrawn after being driven out of southern Lebanon in May 2000. This is the first time since the liberation that Israeli forces have penetrated this zone and harassed Lebanese farmers and shepherds.

  These repeated, unjustified and inexcusable acts of aggression against the sovereignty of Lebanon confirm Israel’s premeditated intention to threaten, endanger and compromise security and stability in order to serve its aggressive expansionist objectives throughout the region.

  In drawing your attention to the gravity and potential consequences of these acts of aggression, I request that this letter be circulated as an official document of the General Assembly under agenda item 37 and as a document of the Security Council.

(Signed) Sami Kronfol
Ambassador
Permanent Representative

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