Gaza Flotilla Raid Focus Of UN Talks

Gaza Flotilla Raid The Focus Of Talks Between UN And Lebanese Official

New York, Jun 4 2010 3:10PM
The deadly Israeli military interception of an aid convoy bound for the Gaza Strip topped talks today between the top United Nations envoy to Lebanon and the country’s defence minister.

Michael Williams, UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, told reporters following his talks with Lebanese Defence Minister Elias Murr that the two men discussed the incident on early Monday morning when Israel took control of a six-ship flotilla in international waters. Nine civilians were reportedly killed and dozens more were wounded.

Mr. Williams reiterated Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s condemnation of the acts that led to the deaths and the Special Coordinator stressed that the root cause of the deadly incident was the three-year blockade of Gaza.

The UN has repeatedly spoken out against the closure of Gaza and raised concern over the insufficient flow of materials into the area to meet the basic needs of its estimated 1.5 million Palestinian residents and to spur reconstruction.

“And now, after such a tragedy, it is even more imperative that that blockade is lifted on Gaza and its people,” Mr. Williams said today.

Mr. Ban, the Security Council and the UN Human Rights Council have all called for an independent probe into the incident.

Another topic of discussion between Mr. Williams and the Lebanese official today was resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 conflict between Israel and Hizbollah. It calls for respect for the so-called Blue Line separating the Israeli and Lebanese sides, the disarming of all militias operating in Lebanon and an end to arms smuggling in the area.

“The minister and I agreed that we both would like to see a further progress from all sides with this key resolution, which is so important for Lebanon and the region,” the Special Coordinator said.

ENDS

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