Security Council resolution 1655 (2006) [on extension of the mandate of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL)]
Symbol: S/RES/1655(2006)
Date: 2006-01-31
Status: adopted
Agenda: S/61 [54] MIDDLE EAST SITUATION
S/61 [56] ISRAEL--LEBANON
S/61 [57] UN INTERIM FORCE IN LEBANON
Subjects: UN Interim Force in Lebanon|UN Truce Supervision Organization in Palestine|PEACEKEEPING OPERATIONS|ARMED INCIDENTS|AUTHORITY|LEBANON|MIDDLE EAST SITUATION|SOVEREIGNTY|CEASEFIRES|STAFF SECURITY|LIAISON OFFICES|ARMED FORCES|INTERNAL SECURITY|MINE CLEARANCE|MATERIAL REMNANTS OF WAR|MAPS|FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT|MILITARY PERSONNEL|SEXUAL HARASSMENT|SEX CRIMES|CODES OF CONDUCT|TROOP-CONTRIBUTING STATES|TRAINING PROGRAMMES|ACCOUNTABILITY|CONSULTATIONS|REPORT PREPARATION
Votes in favour: 15
Votes against: 0
Abstentions: 0
Voting record:
country: ARGENTINA
vote: yes
country: CHINA
vote: yes
country: CONGO
vote: yes
country: DENMARK
vote: yes
country: FRANCE
vote: yes
country: GHANA
vote: yes
country: GREECE
vote: yes
country: JAPAN
vote: yes
country: PERU
vote: yes
country: QATAR
vote: yes
country: RUSSIAN FEDERATION
vote: yes
country: SLOVAKIA
vote: yes
country: UNITED KINGDOM
vote: yes
country: UNITED REPUBLIC OF TANZANIA
vote: yes
country: UNITED STATES
vote: yes

               United Nations                                                                S/RES/1655 (2006)
               Security Council                                              Distr.: General
                                                                             31 January 2006




               Resolution 1655 (2006)
               Adopted by the Security Council at its 5362nd meeting, on
               31 January 2006

                    The Security Council,
                    Recalling all its previous resolutions on Lebanon, including resolutions 425
               (1978) and 426 (1978) of 19 March 1978 and 1614 (2005) of 29 July 2005 as well
               as the statements of its President on the situation in Lebanon, in particular the
               statement of 18 June 2000 (S/PRST/2000/21),
                    Recalling also the letter from its President to the Secretary-General of 18 May
               2001 (S/2001/500),
                     Recalling further the Secretary-General’s conclusion that, as of 16 June 2000,
               Israel has withdrawn its forces from Lebanon in accordance with resolution 425
               (1978) and met the requirements defined in the Secretary-General’s report of
               22 May 2000 (S/2000/460), as well as the Secretary-General’s conclusion that the
               United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has essentially completed two
               of the three parts of its mandate, focusing now on the remaining task of restoring
               international peace and security,
                     Reaffirming that the Council has recognized the Blue Line as valid for the
               purpose of confirming Israel’s withdrawal pursuant to resolution 425 (1978) and
               that the Blue Line must be respected in its entirety,
                     Gravely concerned at the persistence of tension and violence along the Blue
               Line, including the hostilities initiated by Hizbullah on 21 November 2005 and
               those triggered by the firing of rockets from Lebanon into Israel on 27 December
               2005, which demonstrated once more that the situation remains volatile and fragile
               and underlined yet again the urgent need for the Lebanese Government to fully
               extend its authority and exert control and monopoly over the use of force throughout
               its territory, as outlined in the Secretary-General’s report of 18 January 2006
               (S/2006/26), and concerned also by the continuing Israeli violations of Lebanese air
               space,
                    Recalling its resolution 1308 (2000) of 17 July 2000,
                    Recalling also its resolution 1325 (2000) of 31 October 2000,
                     Recalling further the relevant principles contained in the Convention on the
               safety of United Nations and associated personnel adopted on 9 December 1994,

06-22874 (E)
*0622874*

S/RES/1655 (2006)


                    Responding to the request of the Government of Lebanon to extend the
               mandate of UNIFIL for a new period of six months presented in the letter from its
               Chargé d’affaires to the United Nations of 9 January 2006 to the Secretary-General
               (S/2006/15),
                    1.   Endorses the report of the Secretary-General on UNIFIL of 18 January
               2006 (S/2006/26);
                     2.   Decides to extend the present mandate until 31 July 2006, while
               emphasizing the interim nature of UNIFIL and looking forward to the early
               fulfilment of its mandate;
                     3.    Reiterates its strong support for the territorial integrity, sovereignty and
               political independence of Lebanon within its internationally recognized boundaries
               and under the sole and exclusive authority of the Government of Lebanon;
                     4.    Condemns all acts of violence, including the latest serious incidents
               across the Blue Line initiated from the Lebanese side that have resulted in deaths
               and injuries on both sides, expresses great concern about the serious breaches and
               the sea, land and the continuing aforementioned air violations of the withdrawal
               line, and urges the parties to put an end to these violations, to refrain from any act of
               provocation that could further escalate the tension and to abide scrupulously by their
               obligation to respect the safety of UNIFIL and other United Nations personnel,
               including by avoiding any course of action which endangers United Nations
               personnel;
                    5.    Reiterates its call on the parties to continue to fulfil the commitments
               they have given to respect fully the entire withdrawal line identified by the United
               Nations, as set out in the Secretary-General’s report of 16 June 2000 (S/2000/590)
               and to exercise utmost restraint;
                    6.     Reiterates its call upon the Government of Lebanon to fully extend and
               exercise its sole and effective authority throughout the South;
                     7.    Welcomes the steps undertaken recently by the Lebanese Government to
               strengthen the liaison between its armed forces and UNIFIL, including the
               establishment of a Lebanese Armed Forces liaison office at UNIFIL headquarters in
               Naqoura, the appointment of liaison officers to UNIFIL field battalions, and the
               appointment of a new government coordinator with UNIFIL, and acknowledges the
               firm intention of the Lebanese Government to preserve the security and, to that end,
               to reinforce the presence of its armed forces in the southern region and to coordinate
               their activities with UNIFIL;
                     8.   Urges nevertheless the Lebanese Government to do more to assert its
               authority in the South, to exert control and monopoly over the use of force and to
               maintain law and order on its entire territory and to prevent attacks from Lebanon
               across the Blue Line, including through deploying additional numbers of Lebanese
               Armed Forces and Internal Security Forces and taking up UNIFIL’s proposals to
               enhance coordination between those forces and UNIFIL on the ground and
               establishing a Joint Planning Cell, as recommended by the Secretary-General in his
               report;
                     9.   Requests the Secretary-General to continue to work with the Lebanese
               Government to reinforce its authority in the South, and in particular to facilitate the
               early implementation of the measures contained in paragraph 8 above;


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                                                                                     S/RES/1655 (2006)


      10. Supports the continued efforts of UNIFIL to maintain the ceasefire along
the withdrawal line consistent with its remaining task, while stressing the primary
responsibility of the parties in this regard and encourages the Force to focus also on
assisting the Lebanese Government to assert its authority in the South;
      11. Welcomes the continued contribution of UNIFIL to operational mine
clearance, encourages further assistance in mine action by the United Nations to the
Government of Lebanon in support of both the continued development of its
national mine action capacity and clearance of the remaining mine/unexploded
ordnances threat in the South, commends donor countries for supporting these
efforts through financial and in kind contributions and encourages further
international contributions, and stresses the necessity for provision to the
Government of Lebanon and UNIFIL any additional existing maps and minefield
records;
     12. Calls on the parties to ensure UNIFIL is accorded full freedom of
movement throughout its area of operation as outlined in the Secretary-General’s
report, requests UNIFIL to report any obstruction it may face in the discharge of its
mandate, and reiterates its call on the parties to cooperate fully with the United
Nations and UNIFIL;
     13. Welcomes the efforts being undertaken by UNIFIL to implement the
Secretary-General’s zero tolerance policy on sexual exploitation and abuse and to
ensure full compliance of its personnel with the United Nations code of conduct,
requests the Secretary-General to continue to take all necessary action in this regard
and to keep the Security Council informed, and urges troop-contributing countries to
take appropriate preventive action including the conduct of pre-deployment
awareness training, and to take disciplinary action and other action to ensure full
accountability in cases of such conduct involving their personnel;
      14. Requests the Secretary-General to continue consultations with the
Government of Lebanon and other parties directly concerned on the implementation
of this resolution and to report thereon to the Council before the end of the present
mandate as well as on the activities of UNIFIL and the tasks presently carried out by
the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO), and to include in the
report an assessment of the progress made by the Government of Lebanon towards
extending its sole and effective authority throughout the South;
      15. Expresses its intention to keep the mandate and structures of UNIFIL
under regular review, taking into account the prevailing situation on the ground, the
activities actually performed by the force in its area of operation, its contribution
towards the remaining task of restoring international peace and security, the views
of the Lebanese Government and the measures it has taken to fully extend its
authority in the South as well as the implications these measures may have, in order
to adjust the force to its mission;
      16. Stresses the importance of, and the need to achieve, a comprehensive,
just and lasting peace in the Middle East, based on all its relevant resolutions
including its resolutions 242 (1967) of 22 November 1967 and 338 (1973) of
22 October 1973.




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