PRESS CONFERENCE ON LEBANON

Press Briefing

PRESS CONFERENCE ON LEBANON

The United Nations presence in southern Lebanon was important, and some thought should be given to strengthening it in light of the promised Israeli withdrawal from that region, Brazilian Congressman Ricardo Izar, speaking on behalf of a delegation of Brazilian Congressmen of Lebanese descent, told journalists this morning at a Headquarters press conference.

Mr. Izar was accompanied at the briefing by two fellow Brazilian Members of Parliament, George Modallem and Nelson Trad, and by Amin Gemayel, a former President of Lebanon. Yesterday, accompanied by representatives of the United States, Canada and France, they had delivered a document to Deputy Secretary-General Louise Frechette expressing concern over the future of Lebanon in the aftermath of the promised Israeli withdrawal.

Mr. Izar stressed that the document did not endorse any specific political position, but rather expressed concern about the future of the whole country. Questions were raised about the future of southern Lebanon following the Israeli withdrawal. The Brazilian delegation was united in its support for Lebanon as a free and sovereign State. Concern had also been expressed about the Palestinian people, post-withdrawal.

Mr. Izar added that there was constant dialogue between the Brazilian Congress and Lebanon. Some 7 million people of Lebanese descent lived in Brazil, more than twice the population of Lebanon itself. In Brazil's National Congress, about 10 per cent of parliamentarians were of Lebanese origin. The three Brazilian parliamentarians, although born in Brazil, were born with green cedars in their hearts. That was why they would keep working for Lebanon to become a free, independent and sovereign country.

Mr. Gemayel said he was very proud to see such solidarity, from people in Brazil and elsewhere, with their motherland. He hoped that such cooperation would enable the restoration of complete sovereignty in Lebanon. Complete sovereignty meant the withdrawal of all non-Lebanese armies, the restoration of Lebanon's democratic system and the holding of free democratic elections.

Asked whether his visit and the presentation of the document would not undermine the Lebanese Government's handling of the promised Israeli withdrawal, Mr. Gemayel explained that the document was not about the withdrawal of Israeli troops or the implementation of Security Council resolution 425. Rather, it was about Lebanon and its sovereignty and its future –- much more than just the question of the South.

[Security Council resolutions 425 (1978) and 426 (1978) established the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) to confirm the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon, to restore international peace and security and to assist the Government of Lebanon in ensuring the return of its effective authority in the area. That mission has been prevented from fully implementing its mandate. Israeli forces have remained in the area.]

Continuing, Mr. Gemayel said the Lebanese Government, in its dealings with matters relating to the situation in the South, was unfortunately under heavy pressure from external sources. When the Israeli army recently withdrew from a

Lebanon Press Conference - 2 - 12 April 2000

smaller section of Lebanese territory, the Lebanese Government had been unable to send in the army to ensure order, as a consequence of the application of heavy pressure. He feared the same problem would reoccur. The Lebanese Government could not assure law and security, and so other measures would be required. That was why he believed Lebanon needed the full support and full involvement of the United Nations, and particularly the Security Council. Security in South Lebanon had, in fact, been an international responsibility since 1978, he added.

What happened in South Lebanon would affect the whole region and possibly the peace process itself, Mr. Gemayel continued. The Security Council, therefore, should pay attention, regardless of the position taken by a Lebanese Government that was subject to very heavy pressure. The Council should take the required measures to prevent any major problems. Pressure should be applied by the Council to all parties to prevent major problems.

The Council had not waited for a request before intervening in East Timor or Kosovo, Mr. Gemayel said. South Lebanon was explosive, with various militia present. If international attention was not given to it soon, he feared a new Kosovo would develop. A huge humanitarian crisis could evolve. The situation was critical, and the Lebanese Government -- hostage the to situation in the country and the war that had been going on since 1969 -- was unable to address it.

Mr. Izar said that the withdrawal of the Israeli forces could open the way for Lebanon to return to its tradition of democracy. Lebanon, however, remained under the influence of many powers, and the response to the withdrawal would determine whether it would return to democracy or suffer some other fate. There had been many different Presidents of Lebanon in recent times. While he and his Brazilian colleagues did not support any faction, they were concerned with the situation in the country.

When called on to explain why he thought UNIFIL might be useful in quelling problems, given that it had not been able to stop the fighting over the past 20 years, Mr. Gemayel said that United Nations interventions depended on consensus and cooperation. Israel had previously chosen not to help UNIFIL. Israel, however, had now decided to implement Security Council resolutions 425 and 426 . That was the new element. The Lebanese Government had constantly called for the implementation of those two resolutions, he continued, and its clear duty now was to assist in establishing a situation where the people of South Lebanon could enjoy law and order.

In answer to another question, Mr. Gemayel said that the Deputy Secretary- General had been sympathetic to the concerns expressed in the document presented to her, and had assured those present she would communicate their points of view to the Secretary-General. She was, however, naturally unable to give the delegation quick answers. Answers to its concerns would require discussion and diplomacy.

In response to another question, Mr. Gemayel said the Hezbollah -- one of the armed groups present in southern Lebanon -- had stated that, if Israel withdrew its troops and its surrogates, it would disarm in the South. They would then stick to political initiatives. The group had stated just a few days ago that it would be very happy with an Israeli withdrawal.

Asked about "the spectre" of Palestinian militants moving across the border against Israel -– a prospect the journalist said was raised by the current President of Lebanon -– Mr. Gemayel said that possibility had not arisen in discussions with the Deputy Secretary-General. He said all parties must acknowledge that Lebanon did not have the capacity to absorb the large numbers of

Palestinian refugees currently in the country. There were around 350,000 in a country with a total population of some 3 million, compared to some 300,000 in Syria, a country four times Lebanon's size and with a population of some 40 million.

Mr. Gemayel added, however, that in 1987, during his term of office, the Lebanese Parliament had abolished an agreement that had previously given the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) quasi-sovereignty over parts of Lebanon. The Lebanese Government had decided then that it would forbid Palestinians from conducting their resistance from within Lebanon, and it had rigidly and strictly carried out that decision as best it could. To allow such cross-border incursions by Palestinians was illegal under Lebanese law. Subsequent to the Madrid meeting on the Middle East peace process and the Oslo accords, Lebanon was committed to the peaceful settlement of the Palestinians' issues through political processes, he said.

When asked to respond to reports of a statement by the Israeli Prime Minister offering to accept international arbitration to delineate the border between Israel and Lebanon, Mr. Gemayel said that the border did not need to be redrawn. The border was clear and had been established a long time ago. However, he would welcome Security Council involvement in the search for a solution to problems relating to the border, he concluded.

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