Lebanon situation/non-Lebanese armed groups – SecGen report under S/RES/1701 – Report (excerpts)

Report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of Security Council resolution 1701 (2006)

Reporting period from 29 June to 30 October 2012

 I.  Introduction

1.  The present report provides a comprehensive assessment of the implementation of Security Council resolution 1701 (2006) since my last report of 28 June 2012 (S/2012/502)

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 II.  Implementation of resolution 1701 (2006)

A.  Situation in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon area of operations

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27.  During the reporting period, ….  The Lebanese Armed Forces detained hunters and confiscated their weapons on several occasions. Armed persons and weapons remained inside Palestinian refugee camps within the UNIFIL area of operations/

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 C.  Disarming armed groups

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43.  There have been no major security incidents in the Palestinian refugee camps in the reporting period. Access issues to the Nahr al-Bared camp, which sparked violence in June, were largely resolved. On 2 July, a new head of the Lebanese-Palestinian Dialogue Committee was appointed by the Government to work with all stakeholders dealing with the Palestinian file in Lebanon.

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D.  Arms embargo and border control

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50.  In addition, Palestinians refugees from the Syrian Arab Republic have sought refuge in Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon after their camps in Syria came under attack. As at 23 October, approximately 1,930 Palestinian families from Syria had made themselves known in Lebanon to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), which is seeking to provide them with assistance in cooperation with NGOs.  

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V.  Observations

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71.  I reiterate in this context the need to implement earlier decisions of the National Dialogue, and specifically those related to the disarmament of non-Lebanese groups and the dismantling of the PFLP-GC and Fatah al-Intifada military bases. I welcome the steps taken to revitalize the Lebanese-Palestinian Dialogue Committee, and encourage the Government and all concerned to support its new head. The need to improve the living conditions of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, without prejudice to the resolution of the refugee question and the context of a comprehensive peace settlement, remains pressing, as does the need for the strongest possible support from Member States for the work of UNRWA. Failure to urgently translate crucial support for UNRWA into funding for reconstruction and relief efforts for the Nahr al-Bared camp has the potential to be destabilizing in the current context.

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