Security Council extends U.N. mission in Lebanon

UNITED NATIONS -- The Security Council extended the U.N. peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon for six months on Thursday and expressed concern about the violations of the U.N.-drawn division between Israel and Lebanon.

The resolution adopted unanimously by the 15-member council did not single out either country, condemning instead all violence. It urged them both to respect the so called "Blue Line."

The council also welcomed the steps taken by Lebanon to extend its authority throughout the south, including the deployment of armed forces.

Welcoming the resolution, Lebanon's U.N. representative Houssam Assad Diab accused Israel of violating the boundary by overflights which "terrorize the civilian Lebanese population."

Israel's U.N. Ambassador Dan Gillerman said his government was "very concerned" that the council welcomed the steps taken by Lebanon in the south because Hezbollah still operates there and has threatened to kidnap more Israelis and carry out "terror attacks against American targets."

He protested that the council made no distinction between Israeli overflights "done for self-defense and for reconnaissance to try to pre-empt acts of Hezbollah."

'Executioner of terror'

Gillerman also accused Syria, which takes over the council presidency on Friday, of supporting Lebanon and being "the world's probably foremost perpetrator and harborer and facilitator and executioner of terror."

In response, Syria's deputy U.N. ambassador Fayssal Mekdad accused Israel of making "false allegations," of refusing to conclude peace negotiations, and of carrying out "real terrorism" by killing thousands of Palestinians in the last two years.

Israel entered Lebanon in 1978 and launched a full-scale invasion in 1982. From 1985 until its withdrawal in May 2000, Israel occupied part of southern Lebanon as a buffer against guerrilla attacks on northern Israel. The Blue Line is not a border and was drawn by the United Nations to mark Israel's withdrawal.

Lebanese maintains that without a comprehensive peace with Israel, it will not deploy its own armed forces along the Blue Line. In this vacuum, Hezbollah, which fought the 18-year Israeli occupation, remains the real power in southern Lebanon.

The 2,000-strong U.N. peacekeeping force, known as UNIFIL, has been working to maintain the cease-fire through increased patrols and observation along the Blue Line and contacts with the Lebanese and Israelis. The resolution extended its mission until Jan. 31.