July 27, 2000
Lebanese and United Nations experts will head to southern Lebanon later Thursday to check if Israel had rectified four fresh border enchroachments, Lebanese Prime Minister Salim Hoss said.
"Three violations have been rectified and the fourth is under way," he said in a joint conference here with UN special envoy Terje Roed-Larsen, who had a morning meeting with Lebanese President Emile Lahoud. "The Lebanese team of experts will carry out an inspection in the afternoon to check if these violations have been rectified," Hoss said.
Late Tuesday, the United Nations had delayed the redeployment of the UN Interim Forces in southern Lebanon (UNIFIL) down to the Israeli borders - which had been scheduled for Wednesday - because of the four new Israeli violations of Lebanese territory.
Hoss hoped the UNIFIL redeployment would be carried out "shortly...and simultaneaously with a special unit from the Lebanese army and the Internal Security Forces." Roed-Larsen also confirmed that "UNIFIL has been informed that there is no violation on the line with the exception of one violation which is, as we are speaking, being rectified under the supervision of the UNIFIL."
"On this basis, President Lahoud has now issued instructions to the Lebanese army to meet immediately with the UNIFIL force commander General Seth Kofi Obeng and on that basis, UNIFIL will deploy in the south shortly," he said. "There will be a final inspection of the line headed by the (UNIFIL) ... this afternoon," he said.
Late Wednesday, a UN spokesman told AFP on condition of anonymity that Israel had "firmly pledged to rectify the violations during the night and we hope that the re-deployment of United Nations troops will start as of tomorrow." Terje Roed-Larsen, after a field verification Wednesday on Lebanese claims of four new Israeli border violations, crossed into Israel where he met with northern Israel army commander General Gaby Ashkenazy.
"Roed-Larsen is optimistic that the rectification will be completed during the night and the (Israeli) pledge came in a way to avoid any new violations," the UN spokesman said.
In the wake of the Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon on May 24, the Lebanese government has opposed the deployment of UN peacekeepers right up to the border until Israeli troops cease to encroach on its territory. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has hoped that the UNIFIL redeployment would be "immediately followed by the deployment of the composite Lebanese unit," consisting of soldiers and members of the internal security forces.
The border strip occupied by Israel for 22 years until May 24 is currently controlled by the movements which spearheaded the drive to force the Israeli withdrawal, notably the Shiite fundamentalist Hezbollah.
