Question for the Record Submitted to June 25, 1997 Answer Incorporates Information as of June 25, 1997 Lebanon Question 7: When do you expect Lebanon to end the division of the National Assembly according to religious affiliations as ultimately called for in the Taif agreements? Answer: The U.S. is committed to the implementation of Taif as the best means to ensure the full independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Lebanon. Taif is also the best means to achieve national reconciliation. No consensus has yet emerged in Lebanon on the urgency of deconfessionalizing the National Assembly. Question for the Record Submitted to Answer Incorporates Information as of June 25, 1997 Lebanon Question 8: We have received reports that Lebanon has not conducted a population census in many years. Some have informed us that this is due to a purposeful desire by the government not to know exactly how many Sunni and Shiite Muslims there are in Lebanon, or the current Christian population, because of the possible return to violence. Are those assessments true? When was the last time Lebanon held a census? How can the country assign ratios to each confession if it does not have accurate population figures? Does the Government of Lebanon use other sources to make estimates? What trends has State noted in the absence of a census? Question for the Record Submitted to Answer Incorporates Information as of June 25, 1997 Lebanon Question 9: Various Israeli governments have signaled their willingness to withdraw from south Lebanon in exchange for a security agreement on the Lebanese-Israeli border. Yet Syria has shown no interest. What is the State Department's view of a limited border agreement, one which would include the withdrawal of Israeli forces? Should the United States encourage Lebanon to negotiate a peace treaty with Israel despite the absence of progress in the Israeli-Syrian talks? Could the United States help facilitate Israel-Lebanon peace negotiations? Is the United States willing to do so? What is the United States doing to promote Israeli withdrawal? Does the United States believe a unilateral Israeli withdrawal from Southern Lebanon is a realistic option? What issues today hold up a peace treaty between Lebanon and Israel? If Israel wants to withdraw its forces from southern Lebanon, with whom should it negotiate-- the Government of Lebanon or the Government of Syria? How does the State Department advise Israel to proceed? Has the government of Israel ever approached the U.S. for assistance in this matter? Please elaborate. Answer: We are unaware of any official offer from the Israeli government to unilaterally withdraw from south Lebanon, although we note that the GOI has made clear it harbors no territorial ambition in South Lebanon. The U.S. believes that comprehensive peace in the Middle East requires a resolution of the Syrian-Israeli and Lebanese-Israeli tracks. We remain committed to that goal. We are in close contact with both Israel and Syria as we work to renew negotiations. The U.S. remains committed to Lebanon's full independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity and to a Lebanon free of all foreign forces. Through participation in the peace process and through the fulfillment of the Taif Accord, we believe that Lebanon can ultimately achieve these objectives. We continue to believe that progress on the IsraelSyria track will make possible progress on the Israel Lebanon track. For the moment, however, our focus is on the Palestinian track. Question for the Record Submitted to Answer Incorporates Information as of June 25, 1997 Lebanon Question 10: Some have suggested that an Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon could be accompanied by an international peacekeeping force for southern Lebanon, which would be comprised of nations who have contacts or relations with Israel, but which would not be under the United Nations. What is the State Department's opinion about such proposal? Would the United States agree to participate in such a force in order to provide short-term stability in southern Lebanon as part of an agreement enabling an Israeli withdrawal from that area? Answer: The United States continues to work hard to achieve a just, lasting, and comprehensive regional peace and to help Lebanon recover from civil war. We are committed to the resumption of negotiations between Israel and Lebanon, and we have continued to urge both sides to be prepared to exploit opportunities for peace. The Lebanese government has indicated that it looks forward to proceeding as soon as a favorable atmosphere develops. Israel would also like to see negotiations resume to address its concerns about security along its border with Lebanon. It is premature to discuss the specifics of possible international peacekeeping forces. |