Situation in the OPT/Lebanon, Arab peace initiative, request for SecCo meeting – Decisions adopted by the LAS Council – LAS letter

Letter dated 30 August 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 herewith a letter dated 30 August 2006 addressed to you by Amre Moussa, Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, regarding the two decisions adopted by the Council of the League of Arab States at its extraordinary meeting held at the ministerial level in Cairo on 20 August 2006, regarding, respectively, the situation in Lebanon and a request to convene a meeting of the Security Council at the ministerial level to consider the settlement of the Arab-Israeli conflict on all tracks (see annexes).

  I should be grateful if you would have this letter and its annex circulated as a document of the Security Council pursuant to Article 54 of the Charter of the United Nations.

(Signed) Yahya Mahmassani

Ambassador

Annex to the letter dated 30 August 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 the League of Arab States held an extraordinary meeting at the ministerial level at the headquarters of the General Secretariat in Cairo on 20 August 2006 to consider the situation in Lebanon and the region following the adoption of Security Council resolution 1701 (2006). Concerning the situation in Lebanon, the League Council issued a decision (see enclosure 1) in which it reaffirmed complete Arab solidarity with Lebanon and the offer to provide political assistance to its Government with a view to maintaining Lebanon’s national unity, security and stability and its sovereignty over all its territory. The decision calls on the Security Council to exert pressure on Israel for the immediate lifting of the air, land and sea blockade imposed by it on Lebanon, inasmuch as the blockade is considered by the League Council as constituting a violation of Security Council resolution 1701 (2006). It also stressed the need to achieve an enduring, permanent ceasefire, expressing condemnation of the Israeli violations of the said resolution and holding Israel responsible for them.

  The Council reaffirmed its support for and adoption of the “seven-point plan” presented by the Lebanese Government. It called upon the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the Security Council to adopt the Lebanese Government’s proposal concerning the Shab’a Farms area, as set out in the said plan, at the time when the United Nations Secretary-General presents his proposals regarding that question.

  The said decision of the Council attributed full responsibility to Israel for the losses sustained by Lebanon and for the deliberate targeting of civilians and infrastructure, considering those acts as constituting a flagrant and grave violation of international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions. In addition, it stated that Israel was to be held responsible for compensating the Lebanese Republic and Lebanese citizens for those losses.

  The Arab Ministers for Foreign Affairs welcomed the resolution adopted by the Human Rights Council regarding the establishment of a high-level inquiry commission to investigate Israel’s human rights violations during its aggression against Lebanon. The League Council considered the acts committed by Israel during the said aggression as constituting war crimes calling for the prosecution of their perpetrators before the competent international jurisdictions.

  Regarding the Palestinian question and the Arab-Israeli conflict, the League’s Ministerial Council adopted a decision (see enclosure 2) in which it called upon the Security Council to convene at the ministerial level in September 2006 to consider the settlement of the Arab-Israeli conflict in accordance with the terms of reference of the peace process and the relevant Security Council resolutions, in particular resolutions 242 (1967), 338 (1973), 1397 (2002) and 1515 (2003), and the principle of land for peace through the establishment of effective, clearly defined mechanisms for the rapid resumption of direct negotiations between the parties with full Security Council supervision of the negotiations, the fixing of a time frame for their completion and agreement on international guarantees regarding implementation. The League Council charged the Arab Group in New York with submitting the official request for the said Security Council meeting. It also charged the Secretary-General of the League with making the necessary contacts and conducting the requisite consultations to follow up the implementation of the said decision.

  I am confident that these positions adopted by the League’s Ministerial Council at its most recent meeting will receive your attention and your agreement. I look forward to further mutual consultation and coordination with you in order that there may be a strong will on the part of the international community to enable the Security Council to fulfil its fundamental and urgent mission of maintaining international peace and security and to follow up on the implementation of its resolutions in accordance with the purposes set out in the Charter of the United Nations, shunning selectivity and double standards in dealing with issues that threaten peace and security in the region.

  Accept, Sir, the assurances of my highest consideration.

(Signed) Amre Moussa

Secretary-General

Enclosure 1 

    The situation in Lebanon

Decision 6662 – Extraordinary session – 20 August 2006

  The Ministerial-level Council of League, at its extraordinary meeting held on 20 August 2006,

  Having considered:

 –   The note by the Office of the Secretary-General;

 –   The mission report of the League of Arab States ministerial delegation at the United Nations concerning the Israeli aggression against Lebanon;

    Reaffirming its previous decisions on this subject, namely No. 6657, adopted at the extraordinary meeting held on 15 July 2006, and No. 6660, adopted at the extraordinary meeting held on 7 August 2006, and the communiqué issued by the extraordinary meeting held on 2 August 2006;

  Having heard the presentation made by the head of the delegation of the Lebanese Republic;

  And in consideration of the interventions of ministers, heads of delegations and the Secretary-General,

   Decides

1.   To salute Lebanon’s heroic and steadfast resistance to the brutal Israeli assault and pray God to have mercy on the souls of the Lebanese martyrs, considering the cohesion and unity of the Lebanese people in the face of the aggression and their rallying around their Government and their State in the various spheres of life as a guarantee of Lebanon’s future, its security and its stability;

2.   To reaffirm full Arab solidarity with Lebanon and political support for the Lebanese Government with a view to maintaining the country’s national unity, its security and stability and its sovereignty over all its territory;

3.   To commend the role played by the ministerial delegation of the League of Arab States in its contacts and negotiations conducted in the Security Council with Council members and the United Nations Secretary-General, in a joint effort with the Lebanese Government, and the fact that it managed to introduce a number of amendments and additions to draft resolution 1701 (2006); and to extend thanks to the State of Qatar, the Arab member of the Security Council, for its outstanding role in that regard;

4.   To welcome the decision by the Lebanese Government to send the Lebanese army to the South; to support the army’s mission, as determined by the Lebanese Council of Ministers, so that no force other than the legitimate armed forces will be present in that region; and to call upon friendly States to contribute rapidly to the strengthening of the UNIFIL forces, as provided in Security Council resolution 1701 (2006);

5.   To call on the Security Council to exert pressure on Israel for the immediate lifting of the air, land and sea blockade imposed by it on Lebanon, considering the blockade as constituting a violation of Security Council resolution 1701 (2006);

6.   To stress the need to achieve an enduring, permanent ceasefire; to express condemnation of the Israeli violations of the Security Council resolution 1701 (2006), holding Israel responsible for them; and to call upon the Security Council to shoulder its responsibility to compel Israel to abide fully by the ceasefire, withdraw its forces from Lebanese territory to behind the blue line and end its land, sea and air violations of Lebanese sovereignty;

7.   To reaffirm its support for and adoption of the seven-point plan presented by the Lebanese Government; to call upon the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the Security Council to take the Lebanese Government’s proposal concerning the Shab’a Farms area, as set out in the said plan, into consideration at the time when the Secretary-General presents his proposals regarding that question pursuant to Security Council resolution 1701 (2006); and to call on all the parties concerned to cooperate with the United Nations in finding a solution to that issue whereby Lebanon’s rights are safeguarded;

8.   To hold Israel fully responsible for the said aggression and its consequences and for the deliberate targeting of civilians and infrastructure, which constitutes a flagrant and grave violation of international law, in particular international humanitarian law, and of the 1949 Geneva Conventions; also, to hold Israel responsible for compensating the Lebanese Republic and Lebanese citizens for loss of life as well as for both material and moral damage, the destruction of infrastructure and the enormous losses suffered by Lebanon’s economy as a result of the Israeli aggression;

9.   To welcome the resolution passed by the Human Rights Council regarding Israeli human rights violations during its aggression against Lebanon; to call upon the inquiry commission established by that Council to proceed quickly to look into those violations and take the necessary steps in that regard; and to consider the acts committed by Israel during its aggression against Lebanon as constituting war crimes calling for the prosecution of their perpetrators before the competent international jurisdictions;

10.   To express thanks to the member States that quickly provided emergency assistance; to welcome the announcement by those States of their readiness to continue that assistance both in order to provide relief to the disaster-stricken and for reconstruction; and to support the continuation of those efforts;

11.   To announce the readiness of the member States to undertake an Arab effort to contribute to the rebuilding of Lebanon and to support the development of the Lebanese economy in cooperation and coordination with the Lebanese Government; and to call upon the Economic and Social Council to establish an overview for the achievement of that objective and to convene a special session for that purpose in Beirut at the earliest possible date;

12.   To charge the Secretary-General with conducting the necessary contacts and consultations to follow up the implementation of this decision.

Enclosure 2

Request to the Security Council to convene a meeting at the ministerial level

to consider the settlement of the Arab-Israeli conflict on all tracks

Decision 6663 – Extraordinary session – 20 August 2006

  The Ministerial-level Council of League, at its extraordinary meeting held on 20 August 2006,

  Having considered the note by the Office of the Secretary-General, 

  In pursuance of its two previous decisions on this subject, namely No. 6658, adopted at the extraordinary meeting held on 15 July 2006, and No. 6661, adopted at the extraordinary meeting held on 7 August 2006, concerning a request for a radical and comprehensive examination by the Security Council of the Arab-Israeli conflict, in view of the extreme danger of a continuation of the present situation to regional and international peace and security;

  And in consideration of the interventions of ministers, heads of delegations and the Secretary-General,

   Decides

1.   To request the Security Council to convene at the ministerial level in September 2006 to consider the settlement of the Arab-Israeli conflict in accordance with the terms of reference of the peace process and the relevant Security Council resolutions, in particular 242 (1967), 338 (1973), 1397 (2002) and 1515 (2003), and the principle of land for peace through the establishment of effective, clearly defined mechanisms for the rapid resumption of direct negotiations between the parties with full Security Council supervision of the negotiations, the fixing of a time frame for their completion and agreement on international guarantees regarding implementation;

2.   To charge the Arab Group in New York with submitting the official request for the said Security Council meeting;

3.   To charge the chair of the Council, the State of Qatar as Arab member of the Security Council, the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States and the members of the Committee on the Arab Peace Initiative with conducting the necessary consultations without delay and following up the implementation of this decision.

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