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18:14 GMT
BEIRUT, Jan 19 (KUNA) -- Lebanese Foreign Minister Ali Al-Shami on Tuesday
urged the UN to practice more pressure on Israel to withdraw from Lebanese
territories it occupied, and to stop its breaches of Lebanese sovereignty.
The official's remarks came following his first meeting with the
newly-appointed United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon Michael Willams
from the Britain.
Al-Shami reiterated Lebanon's full compliance with international
resolutions, especially UN Security Council resolution 1701, which called for
a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon and a stop to hostilities between the
two.
He called on the UN to practice further pressure on Israel to withdraw from
Lebanese lands it has occupied, and for it to cease its continued breaches of
Lebanese sovereignty.
Talks between the two officials also concentrated on economic, and
development plans for the Lebanese government, to prepare the groundwork for a
UN briefing of the scale of financial and technical assistance required in the
country from the global representative's numerous organizations.
For his part, Williams said that the meeting was appropriate for the
discussion of deep cooperation between Lebanon and the UN through a number of
fields, expressing fondness of the progress achieved in the country since the
formation of the new government headed by Saad Hariri.
Williams also pledged the UN assistance to the country wherever needed.
He also expressed the UN's anxiety regarding Israel's direct breaches of
resolution 1701 through its daily penetrations of Lebanese airspace, stressing
the urgency for a complete withdrawal from Lebanese territories.
Asked if it was expected Israel would withdraw from the northern region of
Lebanon's Al-Ghajar village, Williams said the village was occupied by Israel
illegitimately since the 2006 war, noting that UN Security Council resolution
1701 had called for withdrawal from the region after a three-year period.
This is something which as of yet has not materialized, and official said
the UN would exert its utmost at seeing the withdrawal through. (end)
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