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The United Nations has been integrally involved in efforts to keep the peace in Lebanon, to strengthen the Lebanese government, remove Syrian interference from the country, and bring to justice those guilty of the Hariri assassination.
Promoting a Full Investigation into the Hariri Assassination
Former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and 22 others were killed in a terrorist bombing in Beirut in 2005. It was widely assumed that the Syrian government was involved in these assassinations.
Accordingly, and with the support of the United States, the UN launched an investigation into Hariri's death and 14 other potentially related bombings. This investigation was begun by Detlev Mehlis and is currently being led by Serge Brammertz, a former International Criminal Court prosecutor. In July 2007, Brammertz updated the Security Council on the investigation, reporting progress in identifying persons suspected of involvement in the attack, though more work needs to be done before indictments can be made. Mr. Brammertz’s tour of duty will end in December 2007, at which point, the investigation’s findings will be taken up by a newly established tribunal on the assassinations.
This special tribunal was established in May 2007, when the Security Council passed a binding (Chapter VII) resolution mandating that it try suspects in the Hariri assassination. The resolution was introduced by the United States, although it was requested by Lebanese Prime Minister Siniora along with 70 other Lebanese parliamentarians who had been unable to get domestic agreement on the establishment of a Lebanese tribunal. The Netherlands has offered to host this tribunal, which will be funded by UN voluntary, rather than assessed, funds with major donors sitting on its management committee. The tribunal will have four Lebanese and seven international judges, whose names are expected to be announced in October or November of 2007.
The Hariri investigation and tribunal have been a priority of the United Nations and Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who has traveled to Lebanon and Syria to encourage Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to cooperate on both matters.
UN Peacekeepers in Lebanon
The United Nations is also helping to secure Lebanon's sovereignty through the deployment of a UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), which was significantly strengthened after hostilities broke out between Hezbollah and Israel in the summer of 2006. As part of a subsequent peace agreement, the UN Security Council passed Resolution 1701, requiring Hezbollah to cease hostilities and Israel to stop all offensive operations and authorizing the expansion of the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon from a force size of 2,000 to 15,000. UNIFIL was charged with monitoring (not enforcing) the cease-fire, assisting the Lebanese government to regain control of southern Lebanon, ensuring humanitarian access to civilian populations, and securing the voluntary and safe return of displaced persons.
Despite the volatility in the region, the tenuous nature of any cease-fire there, and accusations of arms smuggling across the Syrian border, a general peace has held and the major regional players remain invested. As of August 2007, the UN had over 13,000 peacekeepers deployed in Lebanon, with an additional 500 civilian staff and UN ground troops and a naval contingent patrolling the coastline to protect against arms smuggling. UN forces had also allowed for the deployment of the Lebanese Armed Forces down to the border between Lebanon and Israel for the first time in decades and UNIFIL had played a key role as negotiator between Israel and Lebanon, working towards the full withdrawal of Israeli troops. Additionally, UNIFIL had destroyed almost 25,000 landmines and other explosive devices and provided humanitarian assistance to the local population, including medical and dental care, in southern Lebanon.
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