Report: Ban to Discuss with Officials in Beirut Lebanese-Syrian Border Demarcation
The recent claims about the presence of al-Qaida in Lebanon have pushed U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon to stir the issue of the demarcation of the Lebanese-Syrian border with top Lebanese officials next week, informed sources said Thursday.
The sources told An Nahar daily that Defense Minister Fayez Ghosn’s allegations that al-Qaida was operating in the eastern town of Arsal and the contradictory statements made by officials later on, have forced Ban to discuss with the Lebanese officials about a request to demarcate the border in accordance with U.N. Security Council resolution 1680.
Ban's three-day trip to Lebanon will start on January 13. He will meet with top Lebanese officials as well as members of the U.N. peacekeeping force deployed in the south.
An Nahar’s sources said the U.N. chief will also discuss with Lebanese officials the renewal of the protocol of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon that expires in March and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon.
Ban will inquire them about the investigations launched into the attacks on UNIFIL patrols and the launching of rockets, they added.
The newspaper said that the March 14-led opposition will ask Ban for U.N. help in unveiling the fate of Lebanese missing in Syria.
The March 14 general-secretariat said following its weekly meeting on Wednesday that Ban’s visit will be an opportunity to remind the Lebanese, Arab and international communities that the “full implementation of U.N. Security Council resolutions on Lebanon will put an end to the arms chaos and the lack of control on the Lebanese-Syrian border.”
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