united nations (ap) | Syria may have withdrawn its troops from Lebanon, but other requirements of a U.N. Security Council resolution, including the disarmament of Hezbollah militias and the extension of Lebanese government control over the south, remain unmet, Secretary-General Kofi Annan said this week.
Annan said a U.N. team had been sent to Lebanon to verify Syria’s claim that it has ended its 29-year military presence in the country. The team will also check to see if all Syria’s intelligence agents have left.
Annan said that once confirmed, the withdrawal will mark a key step “toward ending the heavy-handed foreign interference that has characterized Lebanese politics for decades.”
Additionally, senior Israeli security sources said this week that as long as Hezbollah remains armed and active in southern Lebanon, Israel sees no reason to stop its surveillance flights.
While he noted progress, Annan said there had been no movement on other requirements in the resolution, including Lebanon extending full control to the south and the demand that Hezbollah, Palestinian gunmen and other militias be disarmed.