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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Berri warns war on horizon unless Israel ends violations |
| 2006-10-13 |
| The United Nations representative in Lebanon said on Wednesday that a solution was near on the matter of Israeli troops who continue to occupy the Lebanese border village of Ghajar, even as Lebanon's speaker threatened to resume war if the Jewish state did not halt its violations of Lebanese sovereignty. "We discussed the issue of Ghajar and we are confident that we will find a good solution to the question of Ghajar very soon, so that this will not remain a problem," said Geir Pedersen, representative of UN chief Kofi Annan. "I will not give you any time, but we are working very, very hard. We hope to find a quick solution," Pedersen told reporters after a meeting with Lebanese Foreign Minister Fawzi Salloukh. The village of Ghajar, which straddles the Israeli-Lebanese border, is the last position occupied by the Israeli Army since its soldiers left South Lebanon on October 1. The Israeli withdrawal came almost seven weeks after a UN-brokered cessation of hostilities took effect on August 14, ending 34 days of war. Pedersen said the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) "is discussing this with the Lebanese side and the Israeli side." Ghajar, at the foot of Mount Hermon straddling the Lebanese-Syrian border, is perched on a cliff overlooking the precious Wazzani Spring, which has been a source of continuous disputes between Israel and Lebanon. The area is inhabited by Alawites, most of whom have obtained Israeli citizenship, even though most consider themselves to be Syrian. The village is an extension of the Syrian Golan Heights plateau, which Israel occupied during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and then annexed in 1981. According to a UN-drawn "Blue Line" marking the border between Israel and Lebanon following the May 2000 Israeli troop pullout, two-thirds of the village is on Lebanese soil, while the other third is part of occupied Syrian territory. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #2 Lets hope this time IDF will do it right = complete eradication of Lebanise infrastracture. |
| Posted by: gromgoru 2006-10-13 12:53 |
| #1 From Wikipedia: Prior to the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, this village was in Syria. From 1967 to 2000, the village was under Israeli control. Because the village fell on the UN's Blue Line separating Lebanon and the Golan Heights, two-thirds of the village was transferred to Lebanese control when Israel withdrew from Southern Lebanon in 2000. Residents on both sides of the village have Israeli citizenship[1]. They work and travel freely within Israel, but those living on the Lebanese side of the village have difficulties receiving services from Israel, as Israeli citizens and its army do not enter the Lebanese side so as not to be seen as violating Lebanese sovereignty. There is an Israel Defense Forces checkpoint at the entrance to the village from Israel, and a fence surrounding it, but there is no fence or barrier dividing the Israeli and Lebanese sides of the village. Residents of the village can enter both Israel and Lebanon freely[citation needed]. Hezbollah uses the Lebanese side of the village as a base to spy into Israel, and has also tried to attack Israeli soldiers from the area several times. |
| Posted by: Zhang Fei 2006-10-13 02:34 |