Plumbly Reiterates Ban’s Call on Syria to Respect Lebanon Border

United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon Derek Plumbly stated on Monday that U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon calls on Syria to respect its border with Lebanon following a new security incident.

The secretary-general’s report on the implementation of Security Council resolution 1701 addressed the general issue of the importance of all parties respecting Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and specifically called on Syria to respect the border, Plumbly told reporters following talks with Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour in response to a question on Monday’s cross-border attack in northern Lebanon.

The diplomat said Ban’s latest report made the point that, even where there was uncertainty as to the precise delineation of the border, there could be no justification for the killing or abduction of citizens.

His comment came after Syrian soldiers briefly detained two members of Lebanon’s general security after entering through al-Buqaiaa crossing and opening fire at Jisr al-Qmar, damaging the customs building and a number of cars.

Plumbly said following his talks with Mansour that he briefed the foreign minister on Ban’s report, which has just been circulated to Security Council members.

“The report highlights the calm which thankfully prevails in the south and across the Blue Line, but also the remaining steps that need to be taken to fully implement resolution” 1701, he said.

The report “also addresses issues of security and stability in Lebanon, which are crucial to the implementation of the resolution, and thanks the government and people of Lebanon for the hospitality shown to displaced persons from Syria,” Plumbly said.

He added that Ban’s report lauds the efforts exerted by Lebanese leaders to protect the country from the negative effects of the Syrian crisis, and mainly the initiative of President Michel Suleiman in pursuing the national dialogue among bickering officials from the March 8 and 14 camps.