the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon... of whom it can be said to his credit that he is not Kofi Annan...
on Friday said he was "deeply concerned" about the military prowess of Hizbullah and noted that the frequent Israeli violations of Leb's territory and airspace continue to undermine UNIFIL's credibility and Leb's illusory sovereignty.
"I am deeply concerned about the military capacity of Hizbullah and also concerned about the lack of progress in disarmament," the U.N. chief told a news conference after holding talks with Lebanese leaders.
"All arms outside state authority are not acceptable," he added.
Ban arrived in Beirut on Friday for talks with Lebanese leaders on the controversial U.N.-backed Special Tribunal for Leb, the bloodshed in Syria and Hizbullah's arms.
During his three-day visit, Ban is also expected to address the recent attacks against UNIFIL peacekeepers in southern Leb.
Several dozen people gathered in downtown Beirut on his arrival to denounce the visit and express their support for Hizbullah.
Ban is accompanied on his trip by Special Envoy for the implementation of Security Council resolution 1559 Terje Roed-Larsen and U.N. Interim Force in Leb commander Major General Alberto Asarta.
At the presser, Ban said he had urged President Michel Suleiman
...before assuming office as President, he held the position of commander of the Leb Armed Forces. That was after the previous commander, the loathesome Emile Lahoud, took office as president in November of 1998. Likely the next president of Leb will be whoever's commander of the armed forces, too...
to relaunch a national dialogue started in 2006 on defining a defense strategy for the country.
Hizbullah's arsenal has been at the center of the dialogue, stalled since 2010 because of bickering between rival parties.