Security Council reaches tentative agreement on Israel's pullout of Lebanon

June 18, 2000
Web posted at: 1:33 a.m. EDT (0533 GMT)

In this story: Sources said Russia held key to deal Lebanese claimed Israel was not in compliance Peacekeepers recheck border calculations RELATED STORIES, SITES

From staff and wire reports

UNITED NATIONS (CNN) -- After 10 hours of talks the United Nations Security Council hammered out a tentative deal late Saturday to give Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon the U.N.'s seal of approval.

That would clear the way for U.N. peacekeepers to move into the region -- to be followed by the arrival of Lebanese troops.

The agreement verifying Israel's withdrawal as complete was expected to be formally adopted early Sunday. It came just a day after the Lebanese government insisted that Israel still occupies part of its territory.

VIDEO CNN's Nadine Alfa reports on the need for the United Nations to certify the border between Israel and Lebanon. QuickTime Play Real 28K 80K Windows Media 28K 80K     MESSAGE BOARD Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon

Hoping to overcome Lebanese-Israeli differences, the Council held a marathon session Saturday, including a conference call with Lebanese President Emile Lahoud, U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and others, U.N. sources said.

The 15-member council met Saturday morning, took a short break, and resumed consultations on the text of a statement endorsing Secretary-General Kofi Annan's announcement Friday that Israel had completely withdrawn from Lebanon.

When the endorsement had not yet been made by midafternoon. Michel Duval, Canada's deputy U.N. ambassador, said, "Lebanon has asked questions about the withdrawal ... they want to redo the verification."

Diplomats said Russia, which has close ties with Syria, the main power broker in Lebanon, was under instructions to reject any endorsement text that did not satisfy the Lebanese government.

Formal U.N. certification of a border between Israel and Lebanon is needed so that U.N. peacekeepers can move in to the region. Once that happens, Lebanon can send in its troops.

Israel's pullout left a security vacuum where its self-declared buffer zone had been. There is intense pressure for that vacuum to be filled, to prevent Hezbollah fighters from staging fresh attacks against Israel.

When announcing the completion of the Israeli troop withdrawal, Annan said, "This is a happy day for Lebanon, but also for Israel.

"It is a day of hope for the Middle East as a whole and it is a day of pride for the United Nations.

"It shows," he added, "that U.N. resolutions when fully implemented by all parties working together can be the building blocks of peace. Lebanon is now closer to peace than it has been in decades."

Barak's office said in a statement, "Israel welcomes the statement, which says that Israel has completed its withdrawal of forces from Lebanon in accordance with (U.N.) resolution 425."

"Israel expects that the U.N. will act to fully implement the resolution and will act as well to bring order and quiet to the region."

Lebanese Prime Minister Salim Hoss said that Israel was not complying, alleging that Lebanese army officers accompanying the U.N. team reported that six Israeli military positions were still on Lebanese land.

However, Hoss said on Saturday that his country was committed to cooperating with the U.N., although Lebanon "insists on recovering every inch of its territory."

Council members were under pressure from Annan, who reiterated the importance of an endorsement in a phone conversation on Saturday with the current council president, France's U.N. ambassador Jean-David Levitte.

Duval said the U.N. peacekeeping force rechecked five or six positions and installations on Saturday that the Lebanese government raised questions about. The force "confirmed the withdrawal," Duval said.

"That is the basis on which we will work. We don't contest the right of the Lebanese to make some verification, but this should not be an impediment for an endorsement of the report of the Secretary General."

The draft statement being debated by the Security Council calls on the Lebanese government "to ensure the return of its effective authority and to maximize its presence in the south."

It welcomes measures taken by Annan to beef up the 4,500-strong U.N. peacekeeping force in Lebanon, but stresses that U.N. redeployment on the border "shall be carried out in coordination with the redeployment of the Lebanese armed forces."

Correspondent Nadine Alfa, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

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