United Nations files … Lebanon – 425 – France

publisher: united nation Secretary-General's Office

Publishing date: 1998-04-16

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
WhatsApp

 

Note for the file

Lebanon – 425 – France

  1. On 9 April, Mr. Annabi met with Mr. Philippe Thiebaud, ‘DPR of France to the United Nations, who had come to inform Mr. Annabi about the French and Syrian views on the decision of

1 April 1998 by the Israeli Ministerial Committee for National  Security to accept Resolution 425 with certain conditions.

  1. Thiebaud said that his Ambassador or perhaps President Chirac would be in touch with the Secretary-General with regard to the views of France. The general sense, however, was that it would be premature to take any steps in response to the Israeli decision, since this could well have counterproductive effects. In particular, Syria should be involved in a general settlement. While France would be pleased to coordinate with the United Nations, at present it favored a careful approach, lest Syria be given an excuse to block the entire peace-process.
  2.  Mr. Thiebaud then gave a brief on the visit by Syrian Vice-President Khaddam and Foreign Minister Sharaa to Paris, which took place on 5 April. In a meeting with President Chirac, they had expressed their concerns about the statement by the Secretary-General from Beijing. President Chirac had come to the defense of the Secretary-General by saying that the Secretary-General could not possibly not welcome a decision to implement a United Nations resolution. In general, Syria1 questioned the intentions of the Israeli government. It felt that the Israeli proposal was designed as a ploy to kill the Israeli-Arab peace-process and to place the blame for Israel’s refusal to withdraw on the Arab countries. Peace in the region could only be established through a comprehensive settlement and Israel was wrong if it thought that it could exclude Syria. With regard to the role of the United Nations, the Secretary-General should avoid being associated with the proposal. In particular, the! United Nations should not take any initiative to strengthen UNIFIL. 4. [ Mr. Thiebaud asked whether the United Nations was doing any contingency planning. In reply, Mr. Annabi said that this would clearly be premature. At present, the Secretariat was only reflecting on the present situation. Mr. Thiebaud then speculated that the issue would be with us for some time to come.

 

Adriaan Verheul

16 April 1998

  1. Mr. Prendergast, Miyet, Mr. Annabi, Mr. Knutsson, Mr. Hutter, Mr. Kawakami
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
WhatsApp

Recent Articles


Khaddam’s memoirs… “letters of love and threats” between Reagan and Assad… America withdraws from Lebanon, Israel retreats, and Syria “is isolated”

2024-10-28

Damascus releases the American pilot amidst shuttle tours of White House envoy Rumsfeld…and Washington foils a secret visit by Hikmat Al-Shihabi In the midst of the U.S.-Syrian military exchanges in Lebanon, President Hafez al-Assad’s illness, Colonel Rifaat’s ambitions for power, and the intensifying Iran-Iraq war, Syrian Foreign Minister Abdel Halim Khaddam met with U.S. Ambassador […]

Khaddam’s memoirs…an American-Syrian clash in Lebanon…and Reagan’s envoy requests a meeting with Rifaat al-Assad after “Mr. President” fell ill

2024-10-27

Khaddam threatens Washington’s ambassador with “immediate expulsion”… and exchange of Syrian-American bombing President Ronald Reagan attempted to contain the crisis with President Hafez al-Assad following the bombing of the “Marines” and the shelling, sending his special envoy, Donald Rumsfeld, to Damascus on November 20, 1983. Rumsfeld, a former Secretary of Defense under President Gerald Ford, […]

Khaddam’s memoirs…the Marine bombing before the Lebanese Geneva dialogue…and America accuses Iran of working “behind the lines” of Syria

2024-10-26

Washington accuses Tehran of being behind the Beirut attacks and criticizes Damascus for “facilitating the Iranian role” Robert McFarlane, Deputy National Security Advisor in the United States, returned to Damascus on September 7, reiterating previous statements about the necessity of a Syrian withdrawal from Lebanon to coincide with the Israeli withdrawal. On the 22nd of […]