The president of the U.N. Security Council met with an Israeli representative this week to express concern over the Israeli blockade of the Lebanese coast.
Lebanon last week circulated letters to Chinese Ambassador Li Zhaoxing, who this month holds the Security Council’s rotating presidency, and to U.N. Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali, asking for U.N. intervention to end the blockade.
On Monday, the issue was raised by the Omami ambassador during the Security Council’s daily informal consultations. It was decided that Li would discuss the issue with Israeli and Lebanese representatives.
Israel has stated that the blockade is in response to Lebanese strictures on inhabitants of the security zone Israel controls in southern Lebanon.
Ambassador Moshe Melamed, Israel’s second-ranking diplomat at the United Nations, met with the council president in the absence of Ambassador Gad Ya’acobi, who was in Israel.
Melamed explained that Israel’s measures were not directed against the fishermen or other people in southern Lebanon, but were designed to prevent terrorist activities from known bases in the area.
But according to Nohad Mahmoud of the Lebanese mission to the United Nations, with increased Israeli activity on the Lebanese coast, “the fisherman don’t dare to venture into sea for more than half a mile.”
There has been no indication as to whether the issue will proceed further in the United Nations.
“Here we do our utmost,” said Mahmoud. “Something should be done there in the region, particularly with the arrival of Secretary of State Warren Christopher in the region this week.”
On the eve of Christopher’s visit, ongoing hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon heated up.
Israeli helicopter gunships, artillery and tanks struck at Hezbollah bases in the southern Lebanon security zone shortly before midnight Monday.
About the same time, Israeli jets flew over a section of Beirut where Hezbollah maintains the headquarters of its high command. No bombs were dropped.
Earlier Monday, a member of the Israeli-allied South Lebanon Army was killed and two other SLA soldiers were wounded when a roadside bomb was detonated while their unit was on patrol in the eastern sector of the security zone.
Israeli sorties and artillery bombardments of Hezbollah positions resumed Tuesday in southern Lebanon.
The commander of the SLA forces, Gen. Antoine Lahad, toured Jerusalem on Monday with a delegation of 15 other SLA officers as the guests of municipal council member Yehoram Gaon.
Gaon described Lahad as a “friend’ whom he wanted to host in Jerusalem.
Lahad also met with Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin last week when the Israeli leader was touring southern Lebanon.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
