Mideast situation/Attacks – Letter from Lebanon

Identical letters dated 3 February 2006 from the

Chargé d’affaires a.i. of the Permanent Mission of

Lebanon to the United Nations addressed to the

Secretary-General and the President of the

Security Council

  On instructions from my Government, I wish to inform you of the following:

  On 1 February 2006, the Israeli occupying forces staged an ambush within Lebanese territory, in the Kafr Shuba — Bastra village area, opening fire on and consequently killing a Lebanese shepherd. This was confirmed by a preliminary investigation conducted by the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and the Lebanese security forces.

  This incident comes in the wake of the renewal of the mandate of UNIFIL pursuant to Security Council resolution 1655 (2006), according to which UNIFIL is to continue to carry out the remainder of its mission, namely the establishment of international peace and security. It also comes within the context of Israel’s repeated acts of aggression against Lebanon, with relentless violations of Lebanese sovereignty by land, sea and air and the terrorizing and murder of Lebanese nationals.

  Lebanon considers such Israeli acts, of which innocent Lebanese are the victims, as terrorist acts that go against the provisions of international resolutions, in particular Security Council resolution 425 (1978), constitute flagrant provocation and thwart the efforts expended by Lebanon and the international community to consolidate stability in South Lebanon, in particular, and the region, in general.

  Lebanon urgently calls on the members of the Security Council to exert maximum pressure on Israel to abide by international resolutions and international law and custom concerning State borders and non-aggression against unarmed civilians. Lebanon also wishes to mention once again that the delicate and tense situation along the Lebanese borders, to which the Secretary-General referred in his report (S/2006/26), on which resolution 1655 (2006) was based, is the result of Israel’s continued occupation of Lebanese territory; its daily violations of Lebanese sovereignty by land, sea and air; its continued detention of Lebanese in its prisons; and its refusal to turn over all maps of the mines it left behind in South Lebanon.

  I should be grateful if you would have the present letter distributed as a document of the General Assembly under agenda item 14 and of the Security Council.

(Signed) Caroline Ziadeh 

Chargé d’affaires a.i.

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