Lebanon: Annan urges restraint after exchange of fire across withdrawal line

Reacting with “deep concern” to today's exchange of fire along the line of withdrawal in Lebanon, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today called on all sides to reign in their forces.

Earlier today, shells were fired from Lebanon towards an Israeli military position along the so-called Blue Line, prompting an Israeli artillery and air response. This constituted the third violation of the Blue Line in recent days in what a UN spokesman termed “a worrisome escalation of the situation.”

In a statement issued on Mr. Annan's behalf, the spokesman called on all parties to “exercise the utmost restraint in a situation that continues to be fragile, not just in Lebanon, but also in the wider region.”

The Government of Lebanon was called on to extend its control over all of its territory, to exert its monopoly on the use of force, and to put an end to all attacks emanating from its territory.

“The Secretary-General once again urges all parties to fully respect the Blue Line, which was unanimously determined by the Security Council, and reminds them that one violation cannot justify another,” the spokesman said.