Pullout verification to continue today

By Marilyn Henry and David Rudge, Jerusalem Post, 16.6.00

HAIFA (June 16) - The UNIFIL verification team is expected to resume its work at the Lebanese border today, after being interrupted yesterday when an IDF unit fired five shots at the team, in what was called a "stupid" mistake.

"Four shots passed over the heads of verification team, and one shot hit the ground just in front of deputy UNIFIL force commander Brig.-Gen. James Sreenan," the UN spokesman said in New York.

There were no injuries.

The team is composed of UNIFIL members, who were accompanied by Lebanese army officials, the spokesman said.

"They admitted it happened, said it was a stupid mistake, and said let's get on with the verification [today]," the spokesman said in New York.

OC Northern Command Maj.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi ordered an inquiry into the incident and relayed the initial findings to UNIFIL commander Maj.-Gen. Seth Kofi Obeng. The inquiry found that the soldiers, who had been on guard duty at the Tulip outpost in the Har Dov region, had not acted in accordance with regulations when they opened fire.

Ashkenazi gave instructions for all troops serving along the Northern border to be reacquainted with orders and regulations. He also promised that such a mistake would not happen again.

UNIFIL spokesman Timur Goksel said the UN inspection teams, accompanied by Lebanese officials, had approached the border from the Lebanese side and were in the process of removing some barbed wire when several shots were fired.

"It had been our assumption that that position had been abandoned, and it was when the verifiers were walking through the gate of that position that the shots were fired. That's when the verification suddenly stopped," said the spokesman in New York.

"This was a very unfortunate incident and totally unnecessary. It could further complicate the ground inspection [of Israel's withdrawal], which everyone had hoped would have been completed by Thursday. We have been trying very hard since to put the work back on track," Goksel said.

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan was scheduled to brief the Security Council about the verification team's mission today, leading to speculation that UNIFIL would complete its confirmation of the Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon this morning.

Annan is expected to visit Lebanon on Monday, although his spokesman has not officially announced any travel plans. The trip to the region, including stops in Israel, Jordan and Egypt, is linked to the UN's final confirmation of the Israeli withdrawal.

Annan was reportedly in contact with Lebanese President Emile Lahoud over the incident, apparently in an effort to restore calm and ensure the resumption of the verification work.

Once the verification is concluded, a report will be sent to Annan and will later be submitted to the Security Council and the Lebanese government for approval. Only then will UNIFIL be empowered to deploy its troops in south Lebanon under Security Council Resolution 425, which requires the UN to assist in restoring international peace and security in the region and helping the Lebanese government reassert its sovereignty over southern Lebanon.