[Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies-Tel Aviv University] Aiman Mansour - For Hizballah, UN Security Council Resolution 1701 is, if not a clear victory, then certainly the least of all evils because it keeps the discussion of Hizballah's disarmament within the confines of the barren exercise known as the "Lebanese National Dialogue." Moreover, the resolution provides no effective mechanism for action by the Lebanese government or UNIFIL to disarm Hizballah or terminate its existence as a state within a state. The Lebanese government will continue to control border crossings (as it did in the past). Absent any decision to disarm Hizballah (and with Hizballah officially represented in the government), the smuggling of weapons into Lebanon, primarily by Iran and Syria, will be far less difficult than might appear from the wording of the resolution.
2006-08-24 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive