Ban urges Lebanon, Syria to demarcate borders

In his report on the implementation of Security Council resolution 1559 on Monday , U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon has called for serious action to deal with the “dangerous” presence of Palestinian bases outside refugee camps in the Bekaa valley.

The report, written by Terje Roed-Larsen, said the world body was not in a position to independently verify the alleged arms transfers to Hezbollah. However, he said all sides in Lebanon and outside it should stop all efforts aimed at taking possession of or transferring weapons.

Ban warned that the alleged transfer of arms through the border could lead to another conflict in Lebanon.

Lebanese -Syrian border demarcation as called for Security Council resolution 1680, is an essential factor in guaranteeing sovereignty and political stability to any country, he said.

Ban described Premier Saad Hariri’s visit to Damascus as “historic” and urged both countries to make progress on the demarcation of their common border.

The U.N. secretary-general also urged Israel to stop violations of Lebanese sovereignty and called on Hezbollah to transform itself into a political party.

Hezbollah slams UN report

Hezbollah issued a statement Tuesday criticizing the report prepared by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon’s Special Envoy for the implementation of Resolution 1559 Terje Rod Larsen. The report mentions issues that may cause sedition in the country as well as resolutions that are no longer relevant, said the statement, referring to Resolution 1559.

The report deliberately tries to conceal its sources when discussing arms smuggling, because Larsen’s main source of information is Israel, the statement added.

It also said that the UN report casts doubt on the credibility of international institutions, and that Hezbollah is not a militia as described in Larsen’s report.

Hezbollah also accused Larsen for his complete bias toward Israel and “constant cover-ups” of the Jewish State’s crimes and threats to Lebanon and the Middle East.