January 19, 2009 - Naharnet - Ban Concerned About Situation in the South, Stresses Tribunal Starts Operations in March

U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon reiterated Saturday that the international tribunal starts functioning in March and told Lebanon's parliament he was concerned about the situation in southern Lebanon."Its (the court's) objective is to identify the perpetrators of "the assassination of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri, he said. "There are great expectations of this new body." "Lebanon provides a ray of hope" for a peaceful Middle East, he said as he addressed the Lebanese parliament during a brief visit as part of a tour of the region aimed at ending the war in Gaza. Ban also listed progress made since the adoption of the Doha accord which ended the country's political crisis last May."You have brought this parliament back to life," he said. "You proved your desire for progress. I congratulate you and all Lebanese on your collective achievement." He said he was encouraged about the adoption of an electoral law and that June 7 was set as the date for holding the polls. "These elections are your responsibility," the U.N. chief told the Lebanese. He said he continued to follow the process of national dialogue, adding "dialogue is the best way to address" issues of armed conflict. As Ban spoke to the Lebanese parliament, hundreds of people held a noisy protest near the U.N. headquarters in downtown Beirut. The protestors burned an effigy of Ban on which Israeli and American flags were plastered on the eyes. The demonstrators also threw shoes at pictures of the U.N. chief, along with those of Israeli leaders and Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit. About the firing of rockets from the south into northern Israel, Ban said: "I m very concerned about the situation in southern Lebanon." "I urge all parties in Lebanon and in Israel to continue to show restraint during this tense time in the region," he said. Although Ban said he was "encouraged" that Beirut and Damascus established diplomatic relations, he called for "tangible progress" in areas such as border control and dealing with the issue of missing Lebanese in Syria. The U.N. secretary-general also called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza saying that the level of violence in the Palestinian territory was unprecedented in recent history. "Both sides must stop the fighting now," he told Lebanese MPs.He urged Hamas to stop firing rockets into Israel and the Jewish state to end its offensive and withdraw its troops."The Israeli aerial and land offensives against Hamas targets are inflicting heavy civilian casualties, widespread destruction and tremendous suffering for the entire population," the U.N. chief said."The level of violence in Gaza is unprecedented in recent decades." Ban also said "the Palestinians must be reconciled under the legitimate authority of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas." Ban earlier held separate talks with President Michel Suleiman, Prime Minister Fouad Saniora and Speaker Nabih Berri. After his address to parliament, the U.N. chief headed to the south to meet peacekeepers from the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon.Ban's tour of the region has already taken him to Egypt, Jordan, Israel, the Palestinian territories and Turkey. On Sunday, he heads to Syria before going to Kuwait to attend an Arab League summit on Monday.(Naharnet-AP-AFP)