Report: Jaafari’s Letter to U.N. Included False Data, Exaggerations

The context of the letter that Syria’s envoy to the United Nations Bashar al-Jaafari submitted is exaggerated and contains false information as individuals are behind the arms smuggling operations and not “terrorist organizations,” An Nahar newspaper reported on Wednesday.

“Jaafari’s letter includes false information and is exaggerating the issue,” judicial sources told the daily.

In his letter sent to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on May 17, Jaafari claimed that some Lebanese areas near the Lebanese-Syrian border “have become an incubator for terrorist elements from the al-Qaida and the Muslim Brotherhood organizations who are tampering with the security of Syria and its citizens.”

According to the sources, “the judicial police referred several people to the military judiciary, who are charged with smuggling arms to Syria.”

The daily noted that the number of those accused with trading and smuggling arms are around 50.

Sources pointed out that “most of them don’t belong to an organized group and act individually.”

“Arms dealers exploit the areas of strife to sell weapons,” the sources said.

Judicial sources denied that there are arms depots in Lebanon and unknown ships docking in Jounieh or Aqua Marina ports and unloading arms containers.

“The military judiciary is probing one ship (Lutfallah II),” the sources noted.

Informed sources said that Jaafari’s letter contained contradiction as he praised the efforts exerted by the security forces to control the Lebanese-Syrian border while stating that Lebanon became a conduit for Syria’s weapons.

Lutfallah II vessel was stopped by the Lebanese navy on April 27 off the northern coast.

The army said that it seized three containers containing large quantity of heavy, medium and light ammunition, adding that the 11 crew members of various Arab and foreign nationalities were detained.

On Tuesday, Syrian Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Abdul Karim Ali stated that the discovery of the Lutfallah II ship that was smuggling arms to Syria was among the factors that prompted Jaafari to send his letter to Ban.

Ali stated after holding talks with Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour: “Jaafari’s letter is based on facts on the ground in Lebanon.”