Lebanon making historic strides in self-governance, UN Security Council told

After many years of civil strife, Israeli occupation and Syrian domination, Lebanon had made important strides on the road towards self-governance, stability, democracy and prosperity, the country’s Prime Minister told the United Nations Security Council today.

In an update to the Council on the implementation of its resolution 1559, which focuses on an end to foreign interference in Lebanon, Prime Minister Fouad Siniora highlighted the role of the United Nations in helping Lebanon move forward in all those areas and shared his thoughts on the ongoing national dialogue on contentious issues.

Mr. Siniora said that the Conference of National Dialogue, which had been initiated in March, was a clear expression of his country’s readiness to peacefully address difficult national issues, particularly relations with Syria and the delimitation of common borders, as well as the policy towards Palestinians in Lebanon.

The dialogue also addressed the international investigation and judicial process following the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in February 2005, he said.

The presidency of the republic and Hizbollah’s weapons and their role in the defense of Lebanon among the remaining issues to be taken up when politicians representing the parliament’s 14 blocks resume the dialogue next week, he added.

In regard to Lebanese-Syrian relations, participants to the dialogue had unanimously agreed that the relations between the two sister countries should be strong and positive, based on mutual respect, parity and non-interference.

“The scars left by the dramatic developments of the past 19 months, and the heavy-handed interference in Lebanese domestic affairs by the Syrian security establishment for many years, are not easy to heal,” he said.

However, he found it necessary to admit that for a long part of the past 30 years, Syria played a very constructive role in putting an end to attempts to partition Lebanon and in helping his country to achieve the withdrawal of the Israeli forces from southern Lebanon in 2000.

He said it was important, though, to agree on the border between Syria and Lebanon in area known as Shaba’a Farms which abuts the Syrian Golan Heights. It has been reported that Syrian Vice-President Farouq Sharaa said recently that the Shebaa Farms are Lebanese territory, although the UN Security Council in 2000 concluded on the basis of a large number of maps that the area was Israeli-occupied Syria.

The representative of Syria, Milad Atieh, expressed regret over rumours that there was tension between the two fraternal countries, saying relations between Syria and Lebanon were dictated by their history and geography, and no external factor could separate them.

He maintained that there was no problem in demarcating the border in the Shaba’a Farms area, avowing that Israel must withdraw from the occupied territory before the two countries could demarcate the border there.

In any case, he said that the demarcation of borders as well as the exchange of ambassadors and other bilateral issues were issues of sovereignty for Lebanon and Syria, and others should not interfere with them.