PROFILE OF INTERNAL DISPLACEMENT : LEBANON Compilation of the information available in the Global IDP Database of the Norwegian Refugee Council (as of 27 August, 2004) Also available at http://www.idpproject.org Users of this document are welcome to credit the Global IDP Database for the collection of information. The opinions expressed here are those of the sources and are not necessarily shared by the Global IDP Project or NRC Norwegian Refugee Council/Global IDP Project Chemin Moïse Duboule, 59 1209 Geneva - Switzerland Tel: + 41 22 799 07 00 Fax: + 41 22 799 07 01 E-mail :
[email protected] CONTENTS CONTENTS 1 PROFILE SUMMARY 5 SUMMARY 5 LEBANON: RENEWED GOVERNMENT ATTENTION NEEDED TO SPEED UP RETURN OF IDPS 5 CAUSES AND BACKGROUND 9 BACKGROUND 9 FROM THE INDEPENDENCE OF LEBANON TO THE AFTERMATH OF THE 1967 ISRAELI-ARAB WAR (1920-1973) 9 BEGINNING OF LEBANESE CIVIL WAR AND INTERVENTION OF SYRIA AND ISRAEL (1975-1982) 9 COUNTRY PLAGUED BY VIOLENCE AND INSTABILITY UNTIL THE FORMATION OF A NATIONAL UNITY GOVERNMENT (1983-1991) 11 THE 1989 NATIONAL RECONCILIATION AGREEMENT (THE “TAIF ACCORD”) ENDS CIVIL WAR IN LEBANON AND GUARANTEES THE RIGHT OF ALL IDPS TO RETURN 12 ISRAELI TROOPS PULLED OUT OF SOUTH LEBANON AFTER YEARS OF FIGHTING AGAINST GUERRILLA GROUPS IN LEBANON (1992-2000) 13 RENEWED VIOLENCE IN SOUTH LEBANON DESPITE WITHDRAWAL OF ISRAELI ARMY (2001-2002) 14 FORMER MPS DRAFT NEW DECLARATION FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PEACE AGREEMENT (2004) 16 UNITED STATES PUTS PRESSURE ON SYRIA TO WITHDRAW ITS TROOPS FROM LEBANON (2004) 17 SITUATION