Address by General Michel Sleiman, President of the Lebanese Republic
United Nations
General Assembly
Sixty-fourth session
25 September 2009, 9 a.m. New York

The Acting President (spoke in Spanish): The Assembly will now hear an
address by the President of the Lebanese Republic.
http://daccess-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N09/524/63/PDF/N0952463.pdf?OpenElement

President Sleiman (spoke in Arabic): I should like at the outset to
congratulate Mr. Ali Abdussalam Treki on his election as President
of the General Assembly at its sixty-fourth session and to express my
appreciation to his predecessor, Father Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann, for his
efforts. I should also like to thank in particular His Excellency the
Secretary- General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, for his comprehensive annual
report on the work of the Organization (A/64/1) and for the special
attention that he has consistently devoted to the concerns of Lebanon and
its people.

...Today, from this rostrum, Lebanon reaffirms its commitment to the
Charter of the United Nations and to the resolutions of
international legitimacy, in particular Security Council resolution
1701 (2006), as well as its willingness to contribute seriously and
responsibly to the deliberations and resolutions of the Council for the
coming two years, especially those aimed at ensuring peace and
security in the Middle East. Furthermore, Lebanon will give special
consideration to the deliberations on reform of the United Nations
and its organs that will enable it to become more effective in
addressing the challenges of today's world.

... it is important to note that people have the right to reclaim their
occupied territories by all legitimate and available means, in accordance
with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations and the relevant
United Nations resolutions. Everyone here knows how Lebanon was able to
liberate most of its territories occupied by Israel in the spring of 2000
after Israel had refused to implement resolution 425 (1978), which called
for its immediate and unconditional withdrawal from all Lebanese
territories. That occupation lasted 22 continuous years.

...a just and final solution for the Palestinian refugees cannot deny them
their natural and legitimate right of return to their lands and homes, nor
can it be achieved without the host countries' participation or in
violation of their sovereignty, their special circumstances and their
national interests. This is why Lebanon rejects any form of settling
Palestinian refugees on its territories, for by such rejection it upholds
the Palestinian refugees' right of return, in accordance with Lebanon's
Constitution and national pact. Let it be clear that such a position
will not be reversed. Nor will it be subject to compromise or negotiation.
I take this opportunity to express our gratitude to the countries
that have lent their support to the Lebanese position on this issue and
shown a willingness to defend it.

...In parallel, and on the third anniversary of the adoption of resolution
1701 (2006), Lebanon stresses that Israel should be forced to comply with
all the provisions of that resolution, especially its withdrawal from all
the Lebanese occupied territories, including the Shaba'a farms,
the Kfarshouba hills and the northern part of the village of Ghajar,
to stop its daily violations of Lebanon's sovereignty and its persistent
threats against Lebanon, its institutions and infrastructure.

In this context, Lebanon would like to commend the United Nations Interim
Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) for the role it is playing in the south of the
country, in accordance with the rules of engagement agreed upon and in
full coordination with the Lebanese Army. In addition, Lebanon
would like to reaffirm that it remains keen to preserve the safety
of this Force and reiterates its appreciation for the efforts deployed by
its commander and soldiers and for their sacrifices in the service of peace
and stability....

[IMRA: Under the "the rules of engagement agreed upon" UNIFIL has a "don't
look, don't see" policy of not entering areas where 1701 might be violated
and in those instances that there is an incident which brings world
attention to a violation (e.g. an illegal arms store blows up) UNIFIL
dutifully waits for Hezbullah to clear out the site before inspecting it.]