United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701 - Deployment of UNIFIL II

Deployment of UNIFIL II

The Resolution, in Paragraph 2, "calls upon the Government of Lebanon and UNIFIL as authorized by paragraph 11 to deploy their forces together throughout the South."

Paragraph 11 then states that Security Council decided: "that the force shall, in addition to carrying out its mandate under resolutions 425 and 426 (1978): ... (b) Accompany and support the Lebanese armed forces as they deploy throughout the South, including along the Blue Line ... (c) Coordinate its activities related to paragraph 11(b) with the Government of Lebanon and the Government of Israel ...."

Complicating matters, Syria threatened to close the Lebanese-Syrian border — Lebanon's only land outlet — if UN troops are sent there.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad also warned that deploying foreign troops along the border would be a “hostile” act against Syria.

"At the moment we are seeing some very unconstructive signals from Syria," Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel said.

As for the UN's position, however, Annan advanced the view afterward that the resolution did not require the UN to deploy UNIFIL II anywhere unless invited to do so by the Lebanese government. He said on August 25, however: "the resolution does not require deployment of UN troops to the n border. It indicates that, if the Lebanese government were to ask for it, we should assist. The Lebanese Government has not made any such request."