EGYPT: U.N. SECRETARY GENERAL KOFI ANNAN ON MIDDLE EASTERN TOUR HOLDS PRESS CONFERENCE

Record ID: 222904

  • Title: EGYPT: U.N. SECRETARY GENERAL KOFI ANNAN ON MIDDLE EASTERN TOUR HOLDS PRESS CONFERENCE
  • Date: 20th June 2000
  • Summary: CAIRO, EGYPT (JUNE 18, 2000)(REUTERS) 1. SLV UNITED NATIONS (U.N.) SECRETARY-GENERAL KOFI ANNAN ARRIVING 0.14 2. MV /SCU ANNAN IN TALKS WITH EGYPTIAN FOREIGN MINISTER AMR MOUSSA (3 SHOTS) 0.33 3. SCU U.N. FLAG ON TABLE; SLV ROUNDTABLE MEETING; MV ANNAN AT MEETING; MV JOURNALISTS (7 SHOTS) 1.05 4. MV ANNAN ENTERS ROOM FOR NEWS CONFERENCE 1.13 5. SCU JOURNALISTS 1.15 6. (SOUNDBITE)(English) SECRETARY-GENERAL KOFI ANNAN SAYING "Verification of violations is the responsibility of UNIFIL, the United Nations. I think one line has been certified and any encroachment by Israel into Lebanese airspace, the Lebanese waters or land have to be reported as a violation. I understand there is a team down on the ground with Lebanese associates checking out these violations but let me repeat, verification of violations is the responsibility of the United Nations and United Nations troops, and not either party. And, if any of the parties were to notice violations, they should report it to the U.N. forces who will verify it. If we get into the situation where we hand over verification of violations to either party, we're heading into very dangerous ground. I think we have done very good work with good cooperation from the Lebanese authorities and the Israeli government. We are at the tail end of our work and I think, sometimes, these sort of problems do crop up. But I hope this is an issue which will not hold up the process unduly. The Security Council is meeting in New York and I'm hoping that we'll see some developments soon." 2.43 7. SLV PRESS CONFERENCE 2.48 8. SCU ANNAN SPEAKING (ENGLISH) RISES AND LEAVES PRESS CONFERENCE 3.32 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 5th July 2000 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: CAIRO, EGYPT
  • Country: Egypt
  • Reuters ID: LVA7LUPDX2JB4EKLZL5TRP6TJKAF
  • Story Text: United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has
    described a spat between the United Nations and Lebanon over
    the Israeli-Lebanese border as a "hiccup".

    Kofi Annan, on a Middle East tour which will take
    him to Beirut on Monday
    (June 19), said on Sunday (June 18) U.N. troops were
    responsible for verifying any violations on the border, not
    the countries involved.

    "Verification of violations is the responsibility of the
    United Nations and not either party," Annan said in Cairo. "If
    we hand over the verification to either party, then we are
    entering dangerous ground."
    Beirut on Sunday rejected efforts by the United States to
    win its approval of a Security Council statement that would
    say Israel had ended its 22-year occupation of south Lebanon.

    Lebanese officials said Beirut still objected to the U.N.

    withdrawal line, arguing that Israel was violating it. U.N.

    officials have said the line is not negotiable. But Lebanon
    has simultaneously promised cooperation with the United Nations.

    Israel, which has occupied south Lebanon since 1978, said
    it had pulled out is troops on May 24. For weeks, U.N. teams
    have patrolled the vacated area to ensure the withdrawal
    complied with a 1978 Security Council resolution.

    Annan will fly to Beirut from Cairo and visits Syria later
    in the week. In New York, some U.N. diplomats said he had
    threatened to cancel his trip to Lebanon if the Security
    Council did not endorse his verification of the withdrawal soon.

    Egyptian Foreign Minister Amr Moussa said he had talked to
    Lebanese Prime Minister Selim al-Hoss before meeting Annan,
    adding that Cairo took Lebanon's position "very seriously".

    But he said he would await Annan's meetings in Beirut on Monday.

    The row over the withdrawal has delayed the redeployment
    and strengthening of U.N. peacekeepers sent to Lebanon in 1978
    and stalled deployment of the Lebanese army to fill the vacuum.


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