Source: Reuters
Dec 03, 2006
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan acknowledged in a status report to the Security Council last week that an arms embargo on Lebanon's Hizb'allah terrorist organization is not exactly working.
In his report, Annan cited 13 incidents over the past two months where UN forces based in southern Lebanon found Hizb'allah in possession of illicit arms, including short-range missiles.
Last month, Annan's top Middle East envoy, Terje Roed-Larsen, said he continued to receive daily reports of arms shipments to Hizb'allah via the Syrian border.
Annan took the view that Beirut truly wants to defang Hizb'allah and end its ability to threaten Israel, and therefore called on the international community to assist the Lebanese government in meeting its obligations.
The UN chief went on to slam ongoing Israeli military overflights as a source of instability in Lebanon.
He brushed aside Israel's insistence that until Beirut and the UN manage to end arms shipments to Hizb'allah, the overflights remain a necessary intelligence gathering tool.