UNITED NATIONS tfiffii NATIONS UNIES INFORMATION CENTRE ^PS^T CENTRE D'INFORMATION

UNITED NATIONS INFORMATION CENTRE

PRESS REVIEW UNIC 14 June, 2001

MIDDLE EAST

Annan to Meet Syrian President Assad To Discuss Stability in South

UN Secretary-General began yesterday his visit to , the second stop in his 6-day regional tour, by meeting with Syrian Foreign minister Farouk El-Sharaa. "Annan to Discuss with Assad today Stability in South Lebanon," AI-Mustaqbal wrote in its front-page headline. The daily and others quoted a senior UN official as saying that Annan will discuss today with Assad "stability along the UN-drawn ." Similarly, AI-Anwar in its headline also wrote, "Annan to Discuss with Assad Situation in South Lebanon." Most papers said Assad yesterday tackled with Sharaa the situation in the Palestinian territories, in south Lebanon as well as the issue of . As-Safir in its headline wrote, "Annan and Sharaa Discuss Stability in South Lebanon; Talks Include Syrian Membership at the Security Council."

Annan described his meeting with Sharaa yesterday as "very useful," AI- Mustaqbal wrote. Meanwhile, Sharaa was quoted as urging Annan to take a more active UN role "to put an end to the policies of threat and aggression, which practices against unarmed Palestinian people in the occupied territories," Al- Mustaqbal, Al-Kifah Al-Arabi and others reported.

Meets Mubarak, Maher in AI-Hayat today focused on Annan's meetings with Egyptian President and his foreign minister Ahmad Maher in Cairo prior to his arrival in Syria. "Annan Calls for Lifting Siege on Palestinian People," Al-Hayat read in its headline. The daily referred to statements made by Annan during a press conference following his meeting with Mubarak yesterday in which he said, "I think the purpose of the efforts we are making in the end is to ensure that the siege would also be lifted.. .and when we talk of confidence-building measures, as proposed in the Mitchell report, these are the issues that we are talking about." Al-Hayat and most papers said Annan indicated in answer to a question that "the whole idea behind the international effort is to try to bring the violence to an end. Now that the cease-fire is being consolidated...there should be an effort to move on to the diplomatic process in order to ensure that the cease-fire also holds."

"Annan in an Exclusive Talk with AJ-Lewa' (???) Talks of International Efforts to Consolidate Cease-fire and Says We are Working to Find a Common Point," daily Al-Lewa' wrote in a front-page headline. The daily said Annan had

United Nations House - Riad Solh Square - Beirut Maison des Nations Unies - Riad Solh - Beyrouth Telephone(01)98l30I/2/3/4-Fax:(01)9815lO/I -981516 (Direct)-E-Mail Address: nfriji(S)escwa.org.lb made exclusive statements to its correspondent in Cairo, saying that the objective of his tour to the region was to put an end to the tragic situation, to consolidate the cease- fire between the Israelis and Palestinians in the aim of reaching a common point from which the two sides can resume negotiations and peace talks.

Annan Says Security Council Will be Stricter on Iraqi Weapons, Paper Reports

AI-Hayat today reported that UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan had indicated that the United Nations and the Security Council will be more strict concerning Iraq's armament program despite the current efforts to amend the 11 -year-old sanctions on Iraq. In answer to a question following his meeting with Egyptian President Mubarak yesterday, Annan had said, "The Security Council is reviewing the laqi sanctions programme and the idea that the Council is looking at is to ease up the economic sanctions andin fact have a set of controls of blockages on the economic items going in for the benfit of the people, but will be stricter on the weapons side."

Iraq Dispatches Letter of Protest to the UN Meanwhile, Iraqi Acting Foreign Minister Tareq Aziz yesterday said he has dispatched a letter of complaint to Secretary-General Annan to protest the British and U.S. violations of Iraq's airspace, AI-Hayat reported. Aziz said the United Nations must take the necessary measures to stop those violations and to hold the U.S. and Britain responsible for such violations.

Hizbullah Attempts to Show its Deterrence Capabilities

Two days ago and for the first time since Israel's withdrawal from south Lebanon last year, Hizbullah's anti-aircraft gunners fired at Israeli warplanes that had violated Lebanon's airspace over south Lebanon. This Hizbullah reaction carries particular importance "because of the circumstances concerning the Israeli-Palestinian confrontation, because it expands the scope of Hizbullah's activities beyond its operations in the Shebaa Farms and because it took place a few days prior to the arrival of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan to Lebanon," Roseanna Boumounsef wrote in a news analysis for An-Nahar today.

According to Boumounsef, Hizbullah's retaliation to the Israeli warplane violations prior to Annan's arrival highlights two main issues: 1- there are daily recurrent Israeli violations which cannot be ignored and which the UN has been incapable of stopping; 2- Maintaining stability in south Lebanon does not mean Lebanon should relinquish its right over the Shebaa Farms or its calls for a comprehensive peace. Furthermore, diplomats quoted by Boumounsef indicated that Hizbullah's firing at Israeli warplanes may be part of a new role played by Hizbullah to temporarily replace the operations in the Shebaa Farms which are on hold for the time being due to Lebanese and Syrian considerations.

Nasrallah's Statements Indicate that Israeli Captives Are Alive Annan Expected to Raise the Issue of Prisoners in Lebanon and Syria

In a speech on Tuesday, Hizbullah's Secretary-General indirectly affirmed that the three Israeli soldiers and a reserve officer held by the Islamic resistance group were still alive, according to diplomatic sources quoted by An-Nahar today. The sources said that when Nasrallah stated, "There are people in captivity and they may die and I will not be responsible," he indirectly and for the first time indicated that they are alive. Diplomats speculating over Nasrallah's statements, wondered whether Nasrallah's indication that some captives may die, meant that the prisoners were sick or injured "particularly since there is information that the reserve officer (Elhan Tenenbaum) was not in good health condition," An-Nahar reported. Sources quoted by An-Nahar said understanding Nasrallah's message "was a basic key to pushing the (prisoners swap) negotiations forward."

According to foreign diplomatic sources, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan was almost bound to raise the issue of the four Israeli prisoners held by Hizbullah in Lebanon and in Syria although the main objective of his regional tour was political concerning the Israeli-Palestinian situation, An-Nahar reported. It said Annan should raise the issue not only because he had pledged to assist in bringing about the release of Lebanese detainees from Israel but also because he was urged by Israel's President Moshe Kats.av to gain information about the four Israeli prisoners.

"Annan will simply attempt in and in Beirut to gain some information about the four Israeli captives because he is aware that Hizbullah's military operations against Israel were mainly due to Israel's refusal to release the Lebanese detainees from its prisons and to withdraw from the Shebaa Farms," the sources said according to An-Nahar. The sources said that, "If Annan wants to defuse any potentially explosive situation that would result in military warfare in the region, he must not only seek to gain information about the four Israeli prisoners but he should also try to convince Israeli premier Ariel Sharon to release the Lebanese detainees from Israeli prisons," the sources recommended.

An Honest Message to Secretary-General Annan

The visit of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan to the region following nine months of bloody Intifada is "suspicious and late" and is unlikely to achieve any concrete results, Marwan El-Qassem, former Jordanian foreign minister, wrote in an Op-Ed for the leading Jordanian daily El-Rai. According to Qassem, the Secretary- General only visited the region once since the outbreak of the Intifada, following Hizbullah's capture of three Israeli soldiers. Annan and other international emissaries converged on the region "to save three Israeli soldiers and not three million Palestinians under siege," Qassem contended.

Qassem said Annan's current visit to the region also fell in line with internaitonal efforts to save Israel from its crisis. "When the Israeli blood started flowing and when Sharon's government found itself incapable of responding ...the U.S. dispatched its envoy and the CIA director ...they were followed by EU Foreign Affairs Commissioner Javier Solana and then Secretary-General Annan, all in the aim of helping Israel and toning down the Intifada."

According to Qassem, Annan's visit is bound to fail because its objective "is not to achieve what is just and right and to implement the requirements of UN resolutions but it is aimed at saving Israel from its crisis at the expense of Palestinian rights and at the expense of the UN's credibility...This path is contrary to the path of peace, justice and security." Kofi Annan Reflects U.S. Position or the International Legitimacy? In another Op-Ed published by the leading Jordanian daily EI-Rai today, Mohammad Kharroub said UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan's visit to the region was aimed at promoting the U.S. and Israeli policies. "Kofi Annan had barely completed the first leg of his regional tour in Cairo when it became clear what was the nature of the visit that the UN Secretary-General was assigned to within the U.S. efforts to back the objectives of Sharon's government in gaining as many political and security concessions from the Palestinians," Kharroub wrote. He said, "Kofi Annan , who is visiting the region in a secondary role, is carrying U.S.-Israeli luggage and is trying to promote plans that fall outside his role as UN Secretary-General." The writer wondered why Annan was calling for a consolidation of the cease-fire between Israelis and Palestinians "without making any reference to the international legitimacy or to the basis and principles that govern international peace."

Israelis and Palestinians Accept Tenet's Plan to Hold Fragile Cease-Fire

Both Israelis and Palestinians yesterday accepted CIA Director George Tenet's plan to consolidate the fragile cease-fire between the two sides. However, hours after the agreement, violations of that cease-fire were detected from both sides in a sign that the cease-fire would only hold if political negotiations get under way, papers said today. "Cease-fire Comes into Effect But Violations Do Not Make Way for Optimism," An-Nahar wrote in its headline. As-Safir in its headline said, "Cease-fire Falters ...End of Siege Within Two Days." The daily said Israel's Defense Minister Ben-Eliezer had instructed the army to ease the restrictions on the movement of Palestinian security forces and goods. He said within 48 hours Israel would take measures to facilitate the lives of the Palestinians. "Arab and International Pressure Forced Arafat to Concede to Tenet's and Israel's Conditions," Al-Hayat wrote in its front-page headline. According to the daily, Arab states and the 'international alliance' had assisted the United States in convincing Arafat to accept a plan proposed by CIA Director Tenet who led a security meeting between Israelis and Palestinians yesterday before flying back to the United States.

Israeli-Palestinian Security Accord Requires Political Backing

From the Middle East Reporter The security accord, which CIA Chief George Tenet concluded between Palestinian President Yasir Arafat and the Israelis, was only the first step in getting out of the vicious cycle of violence, which was quickly approaching the edge of an all out war between the two sides, according to the Saudi-owned daily Asharq AI- Awsat, Thursday. "This accord is not meant to stand on its own two feet without political support. Therefore, the two sides should return to the negotiation table soon to achieve a viable and lasting political solution," the paper said. It urged Washington to "redouble its efforts to force the two warring parties to return to the negotiation table and implement the Mitchell Report's resolutions, which serve as groundwork for the subsequent Egyptian-Jordanian peace initiative."

The paper predicted that "it will not be easy to rebuild trust between the Israelis and Palestinians. But the first step consists in getting the Americans to exert pressure on the Israelis to pull out their forces from Palestinian territories and halt all settlement-building activities." The paper concluded that "the problem with successive Israeli governments, since the Oslo Accord was concluded in 1993, was that they wanted to gobble up Palestinian land without paying a price and while Israeli troops are allowed to remain as occupation forces in the and Gaza."

Less than 24 hours after accepting CIA Chief George Tenet's security plan, Palestinian President Yasir Arafat on Thursday will face his first of many hard tests, according to columnist Rajeh Khoury, of the conservative daily An-Nahar, Thursday. He explained that "Palestinian factions are staging a march in Gaza today and, under the provisions of the Tenet plan, Arafat's men should keep the march under control and bring to a halt all anti-Israeli provocative acts in the West Bank and Gaza." The columnist predicted that "Israeli soldiers will be positioned in hilltop positions to make sure Arafat abides by the deal." The columnist stressed that "Arafat's men will certainly feel embarrassed because, only recently, they were fighting alongside the Hamas Movement and the Islamic Jihad organization and now Arafat's men have to harness the .fighters and put them in jail to please the Israelis and allow Arafat's plane to take off and land as often as he likes without Israeli restrictions." The columnist concluded that "the next hard test awaiting Arafat soon is to collect arms and weapons from the same Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters who, only recently, were sharing the same trench with his men."

Columnist Walid Husseini, of the pro-Libyan daily Al-Kifah Al-Arabi, on Thursday predicted that the Israelis and Palestinians will soon return to the negotiation table and "gossip about Jerusalem and the return of Palestinian refugees without listening to the Palestinian bones which were crushed and the wailing of the mothers of Palestinian martyrs whose deaths remain unavenged." The columnist stressed that "Arafat brought the end of the Intifada upon himself and the Palestinian fighters because he could not wait a few more weeks with his personal plane grounded in Gaza and his membership in the club of Arab leaders on the line."

Israeli Police Open Criminal Probe of Arab-Israel MK

The Israeli police unit for international investigation began its criminal probe of Arab-Israeli Knesset member, Azmi Bishara, over his visit to Syria, his participation in the memorail ceremony for last President Hafez Assad, and his address at the ceremony in the presence of Hizbullah's Secretary-General, , Al-Hayat reported today.

ILO Reports Tragic Consequences of Closures on Palestinian Workers

A report released this week by the International Labor Organization (ILO) said the events in the Palestinian territories since last September, mainly the Israeli closures, have had a tragic impact on the situation of the Palestinian workers, Al- Hayat, An-Nahar and various other papers reported today. The ILO report, released during the organization's annual International Labour Conference in Geneva, said, "Closures of the territories and encirclements within them, considerable loss of income and the drastic increase in unemployment and poverty have unleashed a major crisis, from the humanitarian standpoint, for the Palestinian population." The report warned that, "This crisis is becoming worse." How Unified are the Arabs in Support of the Intifada?

Nine months following the beginning of the Palestinian Intifada, AI-Hayat published a full-page report, assessing the level of support for the Intifada in six different Arab countries. In , the people were all supportive of the Palestinian intifada but to different degrees. Meanwhile, the government in Egypt was not likely to cancel its Camp David agreement with Israel but was trying to make use of that Camp David agreement to support the Palestinian Intifada.

In Syria, the Intifada seemed to have reinvigorated a "political speech which had been dormant for the past decade due to Syria's participation in the peace process and to the preparation of the public for a possible agreement with Syria." AI-Hayat said the intifada left its mark on both the public and official levels. It referred to President1 Assad's recent accusations that Israel was more racist than the Nazis and the renewed media and official criticism of the Imperialists and the Zionists.

In Lebanon, AI-Hayat said, "there is no unanimity in dealing with the issue of the Intifada" and the opinions and positions differed based on the different factors that come into play with each group of Lebanese. Furthermore, the daily said, "the complicated link between the Intifada and the Lebanese issue make it very hard to detect a single position or reaction to the Intifada." Meanwhile, in "there are signs of deflated enthusiasm." The paper said the people seemed to be hopeless as to the possibility of the intifada achieveing a victory against Israel.

LEBANON

Shebaa Farms Are Not Worth a Regional War, French Source Says

"French Source Says Shebaa Farms are not Worth a Regional War," Asharq Al-Awsat wrote today in its front-page headline. Senior French officials will inform Syrian President Bashar Assad during his next trip to Paris that "the Shebaa Farms are not worth a regional war and they will urge him to use all his influence over Hizbullah to avoid an escalation that could drive the region to the brink of the abyss," an unnamed official French source told Asharq Al-Awsat. According to the source, the French request to Assad would imply, "the respect for the UN-drawn Blue Line in south Lebanon according to which the UN considered Israel's withdrawal to be an implementation of resolution 425."

Premier Hariri Tackles with French Ambassador Annan's Visit

Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and French Ambassador to Lebanon Philippe Lecourtier discussed yesterday the upcoming visit of Secretary-General Kofi Annan to Lebanon Friday, As-Safir reported. "I think it is very important for the United Nations to be here on the ground, particularly in Lebanon, because there are many issues, which take place every day, that should be discussed and assessed," Lecourtier said after the meeting. He said he hoped Annan "would succeed in calming the situation on the Palestinian-Israeli front."

Lahoud and 's King Discuss International Position Over Blue Line Lebanese President Emile Lahoud and Moroccan King Mohammad VI tackled yesterday the legal and political problems raised at the United Nations surrounding the liberation of the Shebaa Farms from Israeli occupation, Asharq Al-Awsat reported today. In its headline it wrote, "Lahoud Discusses with Moroccan King the International Position Regarding the Blue Line." The daily said Lahoud, who began yesterday a two-day visit to Morocco, was expected to discuss with the Moroccan King "the activation of a UN resolution concerning the liberation of the Shebaa Farms." Lahoud was also set to explain Lebanon's refusal to deploy its army in the south. The two leaders also discussed the need to coordinate Arab support for the Palestinians in their struggle against Israel.

Israel Burns Olive Groves in Shebaa Farms

Israeli forces yesterday burnt large areas of olive groves in the eatern sector of the Shebaa .Farms area that they are occupying, AI-Mustaqbal and others reported. The daily said the Israelis may have resorted to burning that area in order to clear it from trees and other obstacles which hamper its observation operations by land or air. Meanwhile, Israel worked on reinforcing its positions in the Shebaa Farms, the adily wrote.

**#