By David Rudge, Jerusalem Post, 2.6.00
HAIFA (June 2) - UNIFIL is trying to establish an unofficial buffer zone
between Israel and Lebanon at sea, in an effort to prevent maritime mishaps
that could cause friction and derail efforts to restore peace in south Lebanon.
UNIFIL spokesman Timur Goksel confirmed that the force commander, Maj.-Gen. Seth Kofi Obeng, is trying to arrange an "informal separation zone with the consent of both sides."
This follows a number of incidents in which Lebanese fishermen have
encroached on Israel's territorial waters, while claiming that they were
operating in Lebanese waters.
Yesterday, Lebanese fishermen claimed they had been chased out of
fishing grounds in Lebanese waters by Israel Navy gunboats.
Israel categorically denied the allegations. The IDF Spokesman issued a
statement stressing that the navy was carrying out routine security operations
without entering Lebanon's territorial waters.
Since the withdrawal, Lebanese fishermen have tried, on several
occasions, to enter Israel's territorial waters. The IDF Spokesman said the
navy had prevented this while showing maximum restraint.
In cases where the fishermen refused repeated warnings to turn back, the
gunboats had sprayed their boats with water from their on-board hoses.
Goksel said one of the problems is that some of the areas off the coast
of south Lebanon had previously been out of bounds to fishermen.
"These are new fishing grounds, in effect, and as a result many
other fishermen from others parts of Lebanon, from Sidon to as far north as
Tripoli, are coming to the region," he said. "These fishermen are not
acquainted with the area or the territorial boundaries, and this in itself is a
potential source of trouble."
Meanwhile, there were reports that two Lebanese demonstrators managed to
scale the security fence at the former Good Fence crossing just north of
Metulla yesterday and enter Israeli territory. They were driven away by IDF
troops without gunfire, according to the reports.
UN cartographers are continuing their efforts to delineate the
international boundary between the two countries. Yesterday they worked on the
Lebanese side, following the completion of their work on the Israeli side.
The Lebanese government, however, is still smarting from the slap in the
face it received from Syria, which informed the UN that it would accept the
international body's determination of the border.
This apparently includes the Shaba farms area, which the Lebanese claim
belongs to them, even though Israel captured it from Syria in 1967. The UN has
already stated it does not believe the Shaba farms belong to Lebanon.
The sudden about-face by Syria surprised the Lebanese government.
It is expected that the Lebanese government will raise more queries over
the UN's marking of the border and delay its acceptance of the line, which will
postpone the verification of Israel's withdrawal.
UN envoy Terje Larsen held further talks with Lebanese President Emile
Lahoud and Prime Minister Salim Hoss. He told reporters he had
"constructive, positive discussions on technical issues" and that
they would meet again today.
The Lebanese government issued a statement that accused the UN team of
bias toward Israel.
It said the Lebanese team "felt a deviation in the work of the
international team regarding the demand for Lebanon to disregard land Israel
continues to occupy in a number of positions adjacent to the international
border... under the excuse of Israeli necessities and the sensitivity of the
areas."
Nevertheless, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said in an interview with
CNN that he expects the verification process to be completed within a few days.
Meanwhile, there were reports that several more Lebanese who sought
refuge in Israel following the IDF's withdrawal have returned to their villages
under the auspices of the International Committee of the Red Cross. More than
100 of the over 6,000 who sought refuge have already returned.
Around 1,000 are expected to try to find homes abroad and others to
return to Lebanon. Another 4,000, most of them Christians, are likely to remain
in Israel.
The IDF, in coordination with the department that provided civil aid to
Lebanon, yesterday began paying May salaries to former SLA soldiers now in
Israel. A total of $600,000 is being paid to more than 1,000 former SLA
soldiers and members of the civil aid program.
In another development, the IDF is preparing a genetic information pool
on Hizbullah gunmen whose remains are buried in Israel - most in a cemetery
near Gesher Bnot Ya'acov in the North. Members of the IDF Chaplaincy Corps have
taken DNA samples from the remains to ensure reliable identification. The
remains were later reinterred.
(News agencies contributed to
this report.)