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STORY: UN / LEBANON
SOURCE: UNTV
TRT: 2.26
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH/ NATS
DATELINE: 14 JULY 2010, NEW YORK CITY/ FILE
FILE – RECENT, NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, exterior UN building
14 JULY 2010, NEW YORK CITY
2. Wide shot, Williams walks to the stakeout microphone
FILE – RECENT, NEW YORK CITY
3. Close up, camera
14 JULY 2010, NEW YORK CITY
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Michael Williams, UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon:
“Four years ago this week, war erupted between Hizbullah and Israel, with devastating consequences. But, as I told the Council today, the arrangements put in place by resolution 1701 have allowed the longest period of stability between the parties since the 1970s. No-one on either side of the Blue Line has been killed by hostile military action from the other side in the past four years.”
FILE – RECENT, NEW YORK CITY
5. Close up, reporters notepad
14 JULY 2010, NEW YORK CITY
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Michael Williams, UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon:
“The presence of a strengthened UNIFIL and its cooperation with the LAF has been the backbone of everything that has been achieved under resolution 1701. I emphasised today to the Council today that UNIFIL’s cooperation with the LAF is very important but also that the full and unimpeded freedom of movement for UNIFIL in its area of operations is indispensable for the discharge of its mandate.”
FILE – RECENT, NEW YORK CITY
7. Close up, reporters notepad
14 JULY 2010, NEW YORK CITY
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Michael Williams, UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon:
“I think some of the incidents were spontaneous; a resentment that I can understand with the presence of foreign troops, even when they are in a peacekeeping role and contributing to the stability of the region. I think it underlines the absolute imperative for very, very close coordination between UNIFIL and the LAF.”
FILE – RECENT, NEW YORK CITY
9. Close up, reporters notepad
14 JULY 2010, NEW YORK CITY
10. Wide shot, Williams walks away and Salam walks to the stakeout microphone
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Nawaf Salam, Permanent Representative of Lebanon to the United Nations:
“Israel has continued to threaten Lebanon, its people, its government and to arm its infrastructure, not in violation of 1701, but in violation of the Charter of the UN and the basic principles of international law.”
FILE – RECENT, NEW YORK CITY
12. Close up, reporters laptop
14 JULY 2010, NEW YORK CITY
13. Wide shot, Salam walks away
United Nations (UN) Special Coordination for Lebanon Michael Williams briefed the Security Council today (14 July) on the implementation of resolution 1701 as well as the recent incidents involving United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and the local population.
Speaking to reporters outside the Council, Williams recalled that “four years ago this week, war erupted between Hizbullah and Israel, with devastating consequences” and pointed out that the provisions introduced by resolution 1701 “have allowed the longest period of stability between the parties since the 1970s.”
He noted that “no-one on either side of the Blue Line has been killed by hostile military action from the other side in the past four years.”
The Special Coordinator said that the presence of a strengthened UN Interim Force in the country and its cooperation with the national armed forces “has been the backbone of everything that has been achieved under resolution 1701” which was adopted in 2006 to end the conflict between Israel and Hizbullah.
Williams also asserted that UNIFIL's “full and unimpeded freedom of movement” is a critical element for it to discharge its mandate and it must be fully respected.
Members of UNIFIL have recently been the target of protests and attacks by villagers in the south of the country in response to routine military exercises carried out by the mission.
Last week, villagers reportedly staged numerous protests against the Force as it carried out its maximum deployment exercise, a routine activity to ensure the readiness of its troops on the ground.
Asked by reporters, Williams said that he believes that “some of the incidents were spontaneous” based on an expected “resentment” with the presence of foreign troops. He added that those incidents underline “the absolute imperative for very, very close coordination” between UNIFIL and the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF).
The UN has stated that particular care is taken to minimize disturbance or inconvenience to the local population during the exercise, and LAF are fully informed of the activity, its nature and purpose.
For his part, Lebanese Ambassador Nawaf Salam told reporters that Israel “has continued to threaten Lebanon, its people, its government and to arm its infrastructure” in violation not just of resolution1701, but of “the Charter of the UN and the basic principles of international law.”
In addition to monitoring the 2006 ceasefire between Israel and Hizbollah, UNIFIL is also tasked with accompanying and supporting the LAF as they deploy throughout the south, and extending its assistance to help ensure humanitarian access to civilian populations and the voluntary and safe return of displaced persons.
