Kofi Annan Backs Down from Syrian President
Jim Kouri, CPP
August 27, 2006
United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan reversed himself following Syrian threats when he announced that an expanded international peacekeeping force in Lebanon would not help enforce an arms embargo on Hezbollah by deploying along the Syrian border unless specifically asked to do so by Beirut.
Originally Annan was calling for peacekeeping troops to be deployed on the Lebanon-Syria border in order to prevent weapons from being transported from the Syrians to the terrorist group Hezbollah.
Annan's reversal came after Syrian President Bashar Assad warned that the stationing of UN troops on his nation's western border would be viewed as "a hostile act."
American and French officials had dismissed President Assad's threat, and insisted that the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) would police all of Lebanon's borders in order to deny Hezbollah the ability to rearm. US officials believe Assad's threat was all bluster and nothing should deter the prevention of Hezbollah rearming.
An Israeli government spokesman quoted by the Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz reiterated on Saturday that Israeli forces would not lift their air and sea blockade of Lebanon until foreign peacekeepers began overseeing the implementation of the arms embargo stipulated in UN Security Council Resolution 1701.
Critics of the UN claim that Annan is once again backing down from a key provision of the latest UN resolution. In 2000, Security Council Resolution 1559 also called for the disarming of Hezbollah which was never attempted or accomplished.
Senior US Congressman Tom Lantos (D) said during a visit to Jerusalem Sunday that he would freeze President George W. Bush's promised financial aid to Lebanon until the troops were deployed to the Lebanon-Syria border, according to Reuters.
Reuters quoted Lantos as saying, "The international community must use all our available means to stiffen Lebanon's spine and to convince the government of Lebanon to have the new UNIFIL troops on the Syrian border in adequate numbers."
As a ranking Democrat on the International Relations Committee, Lantos has the ability to hold up legislation providing Lebanon with an additional $230 million in US aid, says Reuters.
Originally Annan was calling for peacekeeping troops to be deployed on the Lebanon-Syria border in order to prevent weapons from being transported from the Syrians to the terrorist group Hezbollah.
Annan's reversal came after Syrian President Bashar Assad warned that the stationing of UN troops on his nation's western border would be viewed as "a hostile act."
American and French officials had dismissed President Assad's threat, and insisted that the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) would police all of Lebanon's borders in order to deny Hezbollah the ability to rearm. US officials believe Assad's threat was all bluster and nothing should deter the prevention of Hezbollah rearming.
An Israeli government spokesman quoted by the Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz reiterated on Saturday that Israeli forces would not lift their air and sea blockade of Lebanon until foreign peacekeepers began overseeing the implementation of the arms embargo stipulated in UN Security Council Resolution 1701.
Critics of the UN claim that Annan is once again backing down from a key provision of the latest UN resolution. In 2000, Security Council Resolution 1559 also called for the disarming of Hezbollah which was never attempted or accomplished.
Senior US Congressman Tom Lantos (D) said during a visit to Jerusalem Sunday that he would freeze President George W. Bush's promised financial aid to Lebanon until the troops were deployed to the Lebanon-Syria border, according to Reuters.
Reuters quoted Lantos as saying, "The international community must use all our available means to stiffen Lebanon's spine and to convince the government of Lebanon to have the new UNIFIL troops on the Syrian border in adequate numbers."
As a ranking Democrat on the International Relations Committee, Lantos has the ability to hold up legislation providing Lebanon with an additional $230 million in US aid, says Reuters.
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