The U.N. Security Council has so far remained conspicuously silent on the Israeli attacks against Lebanon.
Instead, U.N. Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali has criticized Israel in a statement that bears only rhetorical weight.
The silence on the current events was almost audible when the council met briefly on Wednesday to renew the mandate of the 5,250-member U.N. peacekeeping force in Lebanon, as it has every six months for years.
Following the renewal, which was approved without discussion, the president of the council read a statement regarding Lebanon that was not very different from previous statements.
It reaffirmed commitment to Lebanon’s sovereignty and national unity, expressed concern over continuing violence and urged all parties to exercise restraint.
But it made no specific reference to the Israeli air and artillery attacks, which began Sunday and are the heaviest since the 1982 Lebanon War.
Boutros-Ghali, in his statement, directed his criticism toward Israel’s announced policy of displacing civilians in southern Lebanon.
“It is deplorable that any government would consciously adopt policies that would lead to the creation of new flows of refugees and displaced persons,” Boutros-Ghali said.
Israeli diplomats say a full-blown Security Council debate remains a possibility. Lebanon, which earlier this week postponed efforts to convene a council session, is liable to resume those efforts.
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