UN Report Says Escalated Hizbullah Rhetoric Increases War Risk with Israel
Secretary-General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres denounced in a periodic report on the implementation of resolution 1701, the recent statements made by Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah against Israel, rejecting “deterrence” justifications which “increases the risk of tension and could lead to renewed war,” An Nahar daily reported on Friday.
The report encouraged President Michel Aoun to resume national dialogue among political parties until a defense strategy is agreed to remove weaponry from Hizbullah and other armed groups, according to the daily.
The report, which consists of 91 paragraphs and prepared by the Special Coordinator for the United Nations in Lebanon Sigrid Kaag citing a comprehensive assessment of the implementation of Security Council resolution 1701, is the first for Guterres since he took office on the first of January.
In the report, Guterres welcomed the “institutional and political progress” made in recent months in Lebanon, saying it “represents an opportunity to further strengthen the Lebanese state's authority and expand it.” Nevertheless it added that “Retention of arms by Hizbullah and other groups undermines the state's authority and contradicts with the duties of the country under resolutions 1559 and 1701.”
The report condemned the “threats launched by Secretary General of Hizbullah against Israel on February 16, which can not be justified as a need for deterrence.” It pointed out that “rhetorical threats of use of force by any of the two parties (Israel and Hizbullah), destabilizes the relative calm and stability prevailing between them.”
It called on all parties to "refrain from such threats, because they increase the risk which could lead to renewed war.”
Source: Naharnet
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