SECRETARY-GENERAL CONTINUES TO FOLLOW VERY CLOSELY DEVELOPMENTS IN SOUTHERN LEBANON

Press Release
SG/SM/7440

SECRETARY-GENERAL CONTINUES TO FOLLOW VERY CLOSELY DEVELOPMENTS IN SOUTHERN LEBANON

The following statement was issued today by the Office of the Spokesman for Secretary-General Kofi Annan:

The Secretary-General continues to follow very closely development on the ground in southern Lebanon. He believes that the parties have come a long way: Israel towards complete withdrawal, and Lebanon towards the reassertion of its sovereignty and territorial integrity. It is the Secretary-General’s earnest with that this process should be completed as soon as possible.

The United Nations, for its part, has completed the task of drawing up and marking a line on the ground, so as to be able to verify Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon. The verification process has now begun, and the Secretary-General has given instructions to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) to complete their task urgently –- if possible, within the next 24 hours. Verification is the sole responsibility of UNIFIL, but the task will require the full cooperation of the parties, which the Secretary-General is confident of receiving.

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