Reporting period from 1 March to 28 June 2013
I. Introduction
The present report provides a comprehensive assessment of the implementation of Security Council resolution 1701 (2006) since my last report of 27 February 2013 (S/2013/120).
In a press statement issued on 14 March, the members of the Security Council welcomed the prevailing stability across the Blue Line and in the area of operations of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and stressed the necessity for all parties to ensure that the freedom of movement of UNIFIL is fully respected and unimpeded. They underscored their concern over repeated incidents of crossborder fire and at the impact of the Syrian crisis on Lebanon’s stability. Members of the Council stressed the need for all parties to respect Lebanon’s policy of disassociation and to refrain from any involvement in the Syrian crisis, consistent with their commitment in the Baabda Declaration, and in this regard welcomed President Michel Sleiman’s efforts to preserve Lebanon’s unity and stability. They also acknowledged the important role played by the Lebanese security and armed forces in sustaining national unity and sovereignty and welcomed steps to further develop their capacities. Members of the Council expressed their grave concern at the impact of the growing flow of refugees fleeing violence in the Syrian Arab Republic and commended Lebanon’s efforts in hosting and assisting those refugees.
Against the backdrop of the ongoing conflict in the Syrian Arab Republic and heightened tensions elsewhere in Lebanon, stability and quiet continued to prevail along the Blue Line and in the UNIFIL area of operations. The Lebanese Armed Forces and the Israel Defense Forces continued to uphold the cessation of hostilities and their commitment to resolution 1701 (2006). There was no substantive progress, however, towards the implementation of the respective outstanding obligations of the parties under that resolution.
There was an increase in violent incidents across the Lebanese-Syrian border.
Since 1 March, and as of 12 June, three Lebanese nationals and one Syrian child were killed by cross-border fire by Syrian army forces and armed members of the opposition, which injured at least six others and caused material damage. There were four air strikes by Syrian Government helicopters over Lebanese territory and at least one incursion by land. The Lebanese Armed Forces reported continued smuggling of weapons across the Lebanese-Syrian border. Efforts to release the nine remaining pilgrims abducted in the Syrian Arab Republic on 22 May 2012 continue.The conflict in the Syrian Arab Republic continues to serve as a background to events inside Lebanon. An intensification of the battle for the Syrian town of Qusayr on 19 May led to a new, sustained round of violence in Tripoli between the residents of a predominantly Sunni neighbourhood and those of an adjacent Alawite area, resulting in the highest number of casualties yet. On 26 May, following a speech in which Hizbullah acknowledged the movement’s role in the fighting in the Syrian Arab Republic, two rockets struck the mainly Shia southern suburbs of Beirut, causing four casualties.
The influx of Syrian refugees into Lebanon continues to rise at an alarming rate.
As at 14 June, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported that over 500,000 Syrian refugees were receiving or had sought United Nations assistance in Lebanon. This compares to 27,000 a year ago.Following the resignation of Prime Minister Najib Mikati and his cabinet on 22 March, President Sleiman, on 6 April, appointed Tammam Salam as Prime Minister designate, with the broad support of political parties. As the parties were unable to agree on a basis for elections in Parliament, the President approved the suspension of the application of the election law on 12 April to enable the parties to continue consultations on proposals for a new draft law until 19 May. In the absence of agreement on a new law, on 31 May Parliament voted to extend its mandate until 20 November 2014, thereby postponing the elections scheduled for June. Prime Minister Mikati and members of his Government remain in office in a caretaker capacity while the Prime Minister designate continues consultations with all parties to form a new Government.