Situation in the OPT/Lebanon – Resolutions adopted by the LAS Council – LAS letter

Letter dated 26 July 2006 from the Permanent Observer of the League of Arab States to the United Nations addressed to the President of the Security Council

  I have the honour to transmit a letter addressed to you from H.E. Mr. Amre Moussa, Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, regarding the follow-up of the resolutions adopted by the Council of the League of Arab States during the extraordinary session held at the ministerial level in Cairo on 15 July 2006 (see annex).

 I should be grateful if you would arrange to have the present letter and its annex circulated as a document of the Security Council, in accordance with Article 54 of the Charter of the United Nations.

(Signed) Yahya Mahmassani

Ambassador

    Annex to the letter dated 26 July 2006 from the Permanent Observer of the League of Arab States to the United Nations addressed to the President of the Security Council

[Original: Arabic]

  I wish to inform you that the Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the League of Arab States, at its emergency session on 15 July 2006, adopted the three attached resolutions concerning the serious developments in the region arising from the continuing Israeli aggression against Lebanon and the Palestinian territories. In those resolutions, the Council affirmed its full support for the position of the Government of Lebanon and requested the Security Council to adopt an immediate resolution concerning a comprehensive ceasefire and the lifting of the Israeli blockade of Lebanon. The Council of the League expressed the view that the current situation in Lebanon and the Palestinian territories increases the difficulty and complexity of the current problem and is detrimental to stability, peace and security in the region.

  In this connection, I wish to point out that paragraph 7 of the attached resolution No. 6658 of the Ministerial Council of the League “[Called] on the Security Council, by reason of the failure of all efforts to restart the peace process and of the arrest of progress towards a political settlement, to convene a high-level meeting with a view to making a radical and comprehensive examination of the Arab-Israeli dispute, and to mandate the Presidency of the Council, the Arab Peace Initiative Committee and the Secretary-General to coordinate and make the necessary contacts in that connection”.

  That being so, and in view of the gravity of the position and its serious implications for the entire situation in the region and for international security and peace, I wish to request you to take whatever measures you consider appropriate to circulate this letter and the attached resolutions to the representatives of the members of the Security Council as a document of the United Nations. I shall consult you further in order to follow up to whatever action may be taken in this connection bearing in mind that it was the wish of the Council of the League to request the convening of the above-mentioned meeting of the Security Council next September at the ministerial level.

(Signed ) Amre Moussa

Secretary-General

    The Israeli aggression against the Palestinian territories

  The Ministerial Council of the League of Arab States , at its extraordinary meeting on 15 July 2006,

 Having examined the note by the General Secretariat,

 Following with extreme disquiet and concern the escalation of the Israeli aggression against the Palestinian territories, the targeting of civilians, the destruction of the infrastructure and the massacre of entire families in the Gaza Strip,

  Expressing its total condemnation of such attacks, which constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity,

  Expressing its deep regret concerning the use of the right of veto by the United States of America in order to protect the Israeli aggression and frustrate the Security Council in fulfilling its responsibilities in connection with the maintenance of peace and security in the Palestinian territories,

  Noting Israel’s continuing violations of its binding agreements, understandings and undertakings with the Palestine Liberation Organization, the Palestinian Authority and other Arab parties, including the Sharm el-Sheikh agreements of 8 February 2005 on truce measures and the release of prisoners and detainees,

  Decides:

 1.   To condemn the Israeli aggression against the Palestinian territories, the targeting of civilians and the destruction of the infrastructure and all embargo measures and closures, which constitute collective punishment and war crimes in accordance with the rules of international humanitarian law, and to call for the immediate cessation of such measures;

 2.   To work through international mechanisms for the immediate cessation of the Israeli aggression against the Palestinian territories and for the withdrawal of the Israeli army from the areas which it recently occupied;

 3.   To call for the release of all Palestinian ministers, members of the Legislative Council and officials in detention and for the exchange of prisoners and detainees within the framework of the United Nations or through third parties;

 4.   To insist that all civilians should be free from attack and should be protected, in accordance with the rules of international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions of 1949, and that an international observer force shall be established to protect the Palestinian people;

 5.   To call for the lifting of the financial, economic and material blockade, for the preparation of an inventory of the gross damage to Palestinian installations and infrastructures and for Israel, the occupying Power, to be held responsible for compensating the Palestinian people for all such losses;

 6.   To emphasize the vital importance of preserving Palestinian unity, to welcome the Palestinian agreement reached in the context of national dialogue, and to call for its promotion and strengthening, as well as for the implementation of any decisions arising therefrom with a view to the achievement of national unity;

 7.   To mandate the Secretary-General to pursue the consultations and contacts required for implementation of the present resolution, and to remain seized of the matter.

(Resolution No. 6656 — extraordinary session — 15 July 2006)

    Critical new developments relating to the Israeli military aggression against Lebanon

    The Ministerial Council of the League of Arab States , at its extraordinary meeting on 15 July 2006,

 Having examined the note by the General Secretariat,

 Having heard the submission by the head of the delegation of the Lebanese Republic,

  Bearing in mind the continuation of the open Israeli aggression against Lebanon and its people,

  Decides:

 1.   To condemn the Israeli aggression against Lebanon, which is incompatible with international resolutions, laws and customs, and to salute the martyrs and the steadfastness of the Lebanese, as well as their desire for solidarity and their unity, which are an essential factor in countering the aggression;

 2.   To display absolute solidarity with Lebanon and to support its steadfastness in facing up to the present brutal aggression against civilians which takes innocent lives and causes serious material and economic losses;

 3.   To emphasize full support for the Lebanese complaint to the Security Council and, in turn, to call for the immediate adoption by the Security Council of a resolution for a comprehensive ceasefire and the lifting of the Israeli blockade of Lebanon;

 4.   To support Lebanon’s expression of commitment to the resolutions of international legitimacy and respect for the Blue Line;

 5.   To emphasize full support for the Lebanese Government in its determination to exercise its responsibilities in regard to protecting Lebanon and the Lebanese, as well as safeguarding their security and safety, and to assert its right and obligation in regard to extending its authority over all its territories and exercising its sovereignty at home and abroad;

 6.   To regard continuation of the destruction and killing being practised by Israel against the Lebanese people as exacerbating and complicating the current problem and as being detrimental to stability, peace and security in the region;

 7.   To hold Israel responsible for compensating the losses and destruction resulting from its aggression against Lebanese territory;

(Resolution No. 6657 — extraordinary session — 15 July 2006)

    Critical new developments in the situation in the region

  The Ministerial Council of the League of Arab States, at its extraordinary meeting on 15 July 2006,

 Having followed with extreme concern and thoroughly condemned the escalating Israeli aggression against the Lebanese Republic and in the occupied Palestinian territories,

  Having considered the critical new developments in connection with the Israeli aggression against civilians and against infrastructures in the Palestinian territories and in Lebanon,

  Asserting its total solidarity with the Palestinian and Lebanese peoples in countering the aggression and the Israeli war machine,

  Taking into account the developments in the deteriorating situation in the Middle East as a result of the obstruction of progress towards settlement of the Arab-Israeli dispute in accordance with Security Council resolutions and the principle of land for peace, as well as the mounting despair, frustration and feelings of injustice and anger, together with the resulting outcome,

  Emphasizing the right of peoples to resist occupation and aggression,

  Having heard the report of the Secretary-General to the Council,

 Decides :

 1.   To condemn the continuing Israeli attacks on Lebanon and on the occupied Palestinian territories, which affect civilians and infrastructures, to affirm total solidarity with both the Lebanese and Palestinians in countering the situation and to warn of the danger of the descent of the entire region into confrontation in the light of Israel’s escalation of its activities in Lebanon and in the Palestinian territories;

 2.   To call on the international community and, in particular, on the Security Council, to assume their responsibilities, take swift action to demand Israel’s full cessation of its military operations, urge all parties to respect the principles and provisions of international humanitarian law and apply the Fourth Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, of 1949, cease the escalation and the violence and seek a settlement through dialogue and negotiations;

 3.   To emphasize the Arab position set forth in the Arab Peace Initiative adopted by the Fourteenth Arab Summit (Beirut, 2002);

 4.   To emphasize that continuation of the current situation constitutes a severe danger to regional and international peace and security thus making it imperative to reach a comprehensive and lasting settlement of the Arab-Israeli dispute in accordance with the terms of reference of the peace process and the relevant United Nations resolutions, in that the occupation is the prime cause of all tension and violence in the region and bearing in mind the decision of the Secretary-General of the United Nations to dispatch a team to the Middle East in order to find ways of achieving an immediate solution to the current crisis by peaceful means;

 5.   To call on the parties to start an immediate process of negotiation for the exchange of prisoners;

 6.   To call on all parties to refrain from activities likely to disrupt security and stability in the region since the States and peoples of the region will bear the consequences and their interests will not be served, to affirm the unity of Arab action in that regard and to set in motion full and joint coordination and consultation within the framework of the League of Arab States in all matters related to developments in the Arab-Israeli dispute, in accordance with Arab Summit resolutions;

 7.   To call on the Security Council, by reason of the failure of all efforts to restart the peace process and of the arrest of progress towards a political settlement, to convene a high-level meeting with a view to making a radical and comprehensive examination of the Arab-Israeli dispute, and to mandate the Presidency of the Council, the Arab Peace Initiative Committee and the Secretary-General to coordinate and make the necessary contacts in that connection;

 8.   To remain seized of the matter in order to monitor developments in the situation;

 9.   To request the Secretary-General to make the necessary contacts with a view to following up implementation of the present resolution.

(Resolution No. 6658 — extraordinary session — 15 July 2006)

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