Daily press briefing by the Office of the Spokesman – Noon briefing (excerpts)

DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICES OF THE SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

AND SPOKESPERSON FOR THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT

 

The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today’s noon briefing by Marie Okabe, Deputy Spokesman for the Secretary-General, and Pragati Pascale, Spokesperson for the General Assembly President.

Good afternoon.

**Secretary-General on Middle East

The Secretary-General just now briefed the Security Council in an open meeting on the Middle East, telling the Council that almost every day brings a new escalation to the bloody conflict that has engulfed Lebanon and northern Israel.  He said that, already, over 300 Lebanese have been killed and over 600 wounded, and the casualties are mainly among the civilian population, about one third of them children.  Meanwhile, the Israeli people, who had hoped that Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon would bring security along their northern border, find themselves under constant Hizbollah rocket attacks, which every day reach further into Israeli territory.  To date, 28 Israelis have been killed and over 200 wounded.

The Secretary-General said that [what] is most urgently needed is an immediate cessation of hostilities, to prevent further loss of innocent life and the infliction of further suffering; to allow full humanitarian access to those in need; and to give diplomacy a chance to work out a practical package of actions that would provide a lasting solution to the crisis.  He added that, while Hizbollah’s actions are deplorable, and Israel has a right to defend itself, the excessive use of force is to be condemned.

He told the Council that the mission he sent to the region, headed by his Special Adviser, Vijay Nambiar, has suggested elements which, in his opinion, must form the political basis of any lasting ceasefire, and on which they have conducted consultations with the leaders of Lebanon and Israel.

The elements include the following, among others:

— The captured Israeli soldiers would be transferred to the legitimate Lebanese authorities, under the auspices of the International Committee of the Red Cross, with a view to their repatriation to Israel and a ceasefire;

— On the Lebanese side of the Blue Line, an expanded peacekeeping force would help stabilize the situation, working with the Lebanese Government to help strengthen its army and deploy it fully throughout the area.  Meanwhile, the Lebanese Government would fully implement Security Council resolutions 1559 and 1680, to establish Lebanese sovereignty and control; and

— The Prime Minister of Lebanon would unequivocally confirm to the Secretary-General and the Security Council that the Government of Lebanon will respect the Blue Line in its entirety, until agreement on Lebanon’s final international boundaries is reached.

The Secretary-General added that we also need a peace track for Gaza — despite the different issues involved there — as much as we do for Lebanon.  He noted that Palestinians in Gaza are suffering deeply, with well over 100, many of them civilians, killed in the last month alone.

We have the speech upstairs, and the open meeting has been followed by consultations on the Middle East, which are going on now.

**UNIFIL

Meanwhile, the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) reports from the field that heavy exchanges of fire have continued unabated along the length of the Blue Line.  There were 31 incidents of firing close to UN positions during the past 24 hours. Three positions suffered direct hits from the Israeli side.  One artillery shell impacted inside the UNIFIL Headquarters compound in Naqoura, causing extensive damage to the UNIFIL hospital, where doctors were operating at the time.

The UN Mission says that some re-supply convoys to its positions are planned for today, but the ability to move will depend on the situation on the ground.  All UN positions close to the Blue Line are facing shortages of basic supplies, and the need to re-supply them is vital.

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For information media • not an official record