By Patrick Galey
BEIRUT: Ongoing unrest in Syria and a spate of military incursions into Lebanon could profoundly deteriorate stability throughout the country, the United Nations warned Wednesday.
In the latest report on the implementation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1559, seen by The Daily Star, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon placed blame on the turmoil in Syria for the increased threat posed to Lebanon’s security.

“I am deeply concerned at the impact of developments in Syria on the political and security situation in Lebanon. I strongly deplore the violent incursions and raids into Lebanese towns and 11 villages by Syrian Security Forces that resulted in death and injury,” Ban wrote. “I call upon the government of the Syrian Arab Republic immediately to cease all such incursions, and to respect Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
“These incursions and the ongoing crisis in Syria carry the potential of igniting further tensions inside Lebanon and beyond,” Ban added.

There have been several incidents in recent weeks in which Syrian soldiers briefly entered Lebanese territory in pursuit of suspected dissidents. While representatives from both armed forces met recently to discuss the problem, there is currently no sign of the incursions letting up.

Ban also warned that Syria’s crisis was hampering Lebanon’s ability to meet its international obligations.
“The profound political crisis in Syria has further hindered progress toward the delineation and demarcation of the border between Lebanon and Syria,” the report said. “I regret the absence of progress and urge the two countries to move forward on this issue without further delay, which has a critical impact on enhancing border control.”
Resolution 1559 was signed in 2004 and called for the formation of a Lebanese-Syrian border in order to boost Lebanon’s control over its territory. It also called for the disarmament of nonstate groups.

Ban repeated his objection to Hezbollah’s retention of its arsenal, calling its arms “a fundamental anomaly that is incompatible with Lebanon’s high ideals of the protection of human rights and democracy.”
He adopted a different tact to previous implementation reports, appealing to Hezbollah’s regional backers – a tacit reference to Iran and Syria – to aid “the transformation of the armed group into a solely political party.”

Speculation has abounded for months that the United States was mulling a freeze on its military support for Lebanon, with legislation proposed by a number of U.S. congressmen to further isolate Hezbollah through toning down support for the Lebanese Army. In response, Ban called for member states to continue backing state-run security forces.

The secretary-general lamented that steps to implement 1559 had come to a “quasi standstill” and cited a clutch of recent security lapses as evidence that Lebanon was teetering on the brink of serious disruption. “These events are indicative of growing security threats in the country,” he wrote.
In May and July, two separate bomb attacks close to the southern port city of Sidon wounded 11 U.N. peacekeepers and drew international condemnation.

Ban placed the burden of keeping his organization’s troops safe at the door of “the Lebanese Authorities” and repeated his insistence U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon personnel be allowed freedom of movement in their mandated area of operations.

Perhaps the thorniest of Lebanon’s international obligations – the Special Tribunal for Lebanon – has continued to divide Cabinet. Opponents of the court have called for a boycott and parliamentary sources say Lebanon will miss the deadline for providing its share of funding for 2011 to the tribunal, paving the way for U.N. sanctions.
“I look forward to translating [Prime Minister’s Najib Mikati’s] commitment [to funding the STL] into tangible action and I stand ready to assist it to reach this crucial objection,” Ban wrote.