sud-liban: pour qui roule la finul?

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http://www.voltairenet.org/article166273.html

source: reseau Voltaire

La France suspectée de vouloir utiliser la FINUL contre la Résistance libanaise

10 juillet 2010

Des incidents ont opposé les villageois de Khirbit Silm et de Touline aux soldats français de la Force intérimaire des Nations Unies au Liban (FINUL), les 29 juin, 3 et 4 juillet 2010.

Les habitants de ces deux localités du Sud du pays ont protesté lorsque des casques bleus sont entrés dans leur village pour y réaliser des manoeuvres à l’insu de l’armée libanaise. Selon eux, les soldats auraient agi en dehors du mandat onusien, pris des photographies, posé des questions pour identifier des membres de la Résistance, et violé des propriétés privées.

Le scénario de l’exercice de la FINUL imaginait une attaque à la roquette contre Israël par le Hezbollah et la défense de l’Etat hébreu par la FINUL.

Le ministre français de la Défense, Hervé Morin, a récemment déclaré vouloir modifier les règles d’engagement de la FINUL, y incorporer une unité de type GIGN pour perquisitionner les habitations des présumés membres de la Résistance afin d’y saisir des armes.

Les villageois, armés de bâtons et de pierres, ont blessés deux soldats.

Un porte-parole du Hezbollah, Ammar Moussawi, a déclaré que les provocations de la FINUL et les incidents qui ont suivi visaient à placer l’armée libanaise en porte à faux ; une manipulation qui a échoué.

L’armée libanaise a déploré que les membres de la FINUL aient agi sans concertation avec elle, et leur a garanti sa protection. Le chef d’état-major a révélé que les soldats français de la FINUL avaient reçu une demande israélienne de perquisitionner des maisons de membres du Hezbollah. Il a réaffirmé que la défense du Liban passait par la coordination entre son armée et sa Résistance.

Une personnalité proche de la Résistance a déclaré au journal As-Sharq al-Awsat que ces évènements s’inscrivaient dans un plan français d’ingérence.

Le Conseil de sécurité a adopté, le 9 juillet 2010 une déclaration, lue par sa présidente, pour réaffirmer la mission de la FINUL. Ce texte a été rédigé par la France.

Recevant le Premier ministre libanais Saad Hariri à l’Elysée, le président français Nicolas

Sarkozy l’a mis en garde face à la situation au Sud du Liban.


http://www.almanar.com.lb/newssite/NewsDetails.aspx?id=145761&language=en

No Change in UNIFIL's Rules of Engagement; Reconciliation Established

Mohamad Shmaysani
11/07/2010

A meeting at the south Lebanon town of Toulin will be held Sunday night to establish reconciliation between the citizens and the UNIFIL forces. The meeting will also be attended by representatives of the Lebanese Army. Reconciliation is taking place following tension between the French battalion and Toulin residents over carrying out maneuvers near the houses, with the presence of the Lebanese Army as UNSCR 1701 stipulates.

UNSCR 1701 is under Chapter Six of the UN Charter; however analysts and commentators suggest that the incident was an attempt to force a change of the rules of engagement according to Chapter Seven of the UN Charter.

Prime Minister Saad Hariri announced that this can never happen. “the 1701 is under Chapter Six of the UN Charter...End of the line,” he said.

The dispute is over whether UNIFIL forces should or should not search houses south of the Litani River.

At the same time of the UNIFIL ‘maneuver’, Israel posted pictures of houses south of the Litani River marked with blue and yellow colors and claimed they were arms depots.

Retired General and MP Walid Sukkarieh said Israel’s photos were false.
“If those pictures were true, Israel would not publish them. It will add those houses and villages to its bank of targets and deal Hezbollah a crippling blow in the first minutes of any assault. Strategically speaking, if Israel knew about arms depots it would not make them public because the first thing Hezbollah would do is remove its arms to another location.”

Israel has hinted that it would attack locations where it claimed there was evidence of Hezbollah stockpiling weapons in towns and villages near the border.
Security sources told Israel radio that in case of deterioration in the situation, ‘Israel would give an ultimatum for residents of the south to leave their homes to pave way for an attack’ on what the Zionist state claims to be depots inside villages.

The UN Security Council reaffirmed support on Friday for the UNIFIL mission in Lebanon and called on all parties in the country to allow the UNIFIL forces to move freely. French representative to the UN Gérard Araud said during the session that last week’s incidents with the UNIFIL were “organized, and not innocent,” Annahar newspaper reported Sunday. Araud called for a strict implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, saying there should be no changes to UNIFIL’s mandate or rules of engagement.

Lebanon Army chief General Jean Qahwaji revealed that the UNIFIL was conducting a covert operation in south Lebanon. Speaking to Annahar daily last week, Qahwaji said that the UNIFIL had Israeli lists of homes and individuals that needed to be searched for weapons and munitions. The Army commander told the newspaper that the Lebanese Armed Forces had rejected to conduct this operation after knowing about Israeli lists “because the army’s mission is not to protect the Israelis.”

Lebanese Permanent Representative to the UN Nawwaf Salam said during Friday’s session that Lebanon is totally committed to the freedom of UNIFIL’s movement as specified in UN Security Council Resolution 1701, Annahar said.
He called for sidestepping the recent incidents in South Lebanon, citing the historic relationship over the past 30 years between UNIFIL and the Lebanese people.

Salam also reminded the Security Council of Israel’s continued violations of Lebanese sovereignty and Resolution 1701.

Israel has violated UNSCR 1701 tens of thousands of time since its issuance in 2006, when Israeli waged war on Lebanon. However, the UNSC has not taken concrete steps to stop this daily Israeli violation of the sovereignty of Lebanon.