UNITED NATIONS -- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon late Friday said the lack of progress on the Middle East peace process is affecting Lebanon's stability and the implementation of ceasefire resolution 1701 that put an end to the 2006 summer war between Israel and Hezbollah.

In his 12th Periodic Report to the Security Council on this issue, Ban said the situation prevailing between Lebanon and Israel, is "inevitably affected by regional dynamics... I believe that the pace at which progress will be achieved in this respect will be influenced by other regional developments. In particular, the absence of progress on the Middle East peace process has a negative impact on the full implementation of resolution 1701 (2006) and on Lebanon's stability." He described the situation between the two countries as fragile and "this frailty is further compounded by the use of increasingly strident and bellicose rhetoric warning of renewed conflict... All such rhetoric raises tensions and should be avoided." Ban was "concerned" that the occupation by Israeli forces of the northern part of the village of Ghajar, an adjacent area north of the Blue Line, and the Shab'a Farms area continues. "I call on the Government of Israel, in accordance with its obligations under resolution 1701 (2006), to complete its withdrawal from the area without further delay," he said.

He warned that the Israeli daily over flights of Lebanese territory violate Lebanon's sovereignty and create a "tense situation and carry the potential of provoking an incident which could rapidly escalate. I once again call on Israel to respect Lebanon's sovereignty by ceasing immediately all (these) over flights." Ban said the marked improvement of relations between Lebanon and Syria creates a propitious environment for progress to manage their common border, and also its delineation and demarcation.

"I look forward to concrete steps in this respect to be taken by the Governments of Lebanon and the Syrian Arab Republic in the coming months," he said.

On the arms embargo imposed by resolution 1701, Ban said the Lebanese Government has not reported any breaches. However, it acknowledged the porous nature of the border and the possibility that arms smuggling takes place.
He said Israeli officials asserted to his representative in Lebanon Michael Williams last month that there are "significant breaches" of the arms embargo across the border between Syria and Lebanon.

"The United Nations takes these assertions seriously, but is not in a position to verify this information independently," he said.
He noted, however, that to date, UNIFIL "has neither been provided with, nor found, evidence of the smuggling of arms into its area of operations." Furthermore, he added, UNIFIL routinely checked previously-discovered former facilities of armed elements in the area of operations, including bunkers and caves, but "did not find indications that they had been reactivated, or any evidence of new military infrastructure in its area of operations." -Kuna