United Nations Security Council Resolution 1583

by the United Nations

Adopted unanimously by the Security Council at its 5117th meeting, on 28 January 2005

The Security Council,

Recalling all its previous resolutions on Lebanon, including resolutions 425 (1978) and 426 (1978) of 19 March 1978 and 1553 (2004) of 29 July 2004, as well as the statements of its President on the situation in Lebanon, in particular the statement of 18 June 2000 (S/PRST/2000/21),

Recalling further the letter from its President to the Secretary-General of 18 May 2001 (S/2001/500),

Recalling also the Secretary-General's conclusion that, as of 16 June 2000, Israel had withdrawn its forces from Lebanon in accordance with resolution 425 (1978) and met the requirements defined in the Secretary-General's report of 22 May 2000 (S/2000/460), as well as the Secretary-General’s conclusion that the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) had essentially completed two of the three parts of its mandate, focusing now on the remaining task of restoring international peace and security,

Gravely concerned at the persistence of tension and violence along the Blue Line,

Emphasizing once again the interim nature of UNIFIL,

Recalling its resolution 1308 (2000) of 17 July 2000,

Recalling also its resolution 1325 (2000) of 31 October 2000,

Recalling further the relevant principles contained in the Convention on the Safety of United Nations and Associated Personnel adopted on 9 December 1994,

Responding to the request of the Government of Lebanon to extend the mandate of UNIFIL for a new period of six months presented in the letter from its Permanent Representative to the United Nations of 11 January 2005 to the Secretary-General (S/2005/13), while reaffirming that the Council has recognized the Blue Line as valid for the purpose of confirming Israel's withdrawal pursuant to resolution 425 and that the Blue Line must be respected in its entirety,

Expressing its concern over the tensions and potential for escalation as noted in the Secretary-General’s report of 20 January (S/2005/36),

1. Endorses the report of the Secretary-General on UNIFIL of 20 January (S/2005/36);

2. Decides to extend the present mandate until 31 July 2005;

3. Reiterates its strong support for the territorial integrity, sovereignty and political independence of Lebanon within its internationally recognized boundaries and under the sole and exclusive authority of the Government of Lebanon;

4. Calls upon the Government of Lebanon to fully extend and exercise its sole and effective authority throughout the south, including through the deployment of sufficient numbers of Lebanese armed and security forces, to ensure a calm environment throughout the area, including along the Blue Line, and to exert control over the use of force on its territory and from it;

5. Calls on the parties to ensure UNIFIL is accorded full freedom of movement throughout its area of operation as outlined in the Secretary-General’s report, and requests UNIFIL to report any obstruction it may face in the discharge of its mandate;

6. Reiterates its call on the parties to continue to fulfil the commitments they have given to respect fully the entire withdrawal line identified by the United Nations, as set out in the Secretary-General’s report of 16 June 2000 (S/2000/590), to exercise utmost restraint and to cooperate fully with the United Nations and UNIFIL;

7. Condemns all acts of violence, including the recent incidents across the Blue Line that have resulted in the killing and wounding of United Nations military observers, expresses great concern about the serious breaches and the sea, land and continuing air violations of the withdrawal line, and urges the parties to put an end to these violations, to refrain from any act or provocation that could further escalate the tension and to abide scrupulously by their obligation to respect the safety of the UNIFIL and other United Nations personnel;

8. Supports the continued efforts of UNIFIL to maintain the ceasefire along the withdrawal line through mobile patrols and observation from fixed positions and through close contacts with the parties to correct violations, resolve incidents and prevent their escalation, while stressing the primary responsibility of the parties in this regard;

9. Welcomes the continued contribution of UNIFIL to operational mine clearance, encourages further assistance in mine action by the United Nations to the Government of Lebanon in support of both the continued development of its national mine action capacity and clearance of the remaining mine/UXO threat in the south, commends donor countries for supporting these efforts through financial and in-kind contributions and encourages further international contributions, and stresses the necessity for provision to the Government of Lebanon and UNIFIL any additional existing maps and minefield records;

10. Requests the Secretary-General to continue consultations with the Government of Lebanon and other parties directly concerned on the implementation of this resolution and to report thereon to the Council before the end of the present mandate, as well as on the activities of UNIFIL and the tasks presently carried out by the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO);

11. Expresses its intention to review the mandate and structures of UNIFIL at the end of the present mandate and requests the Secretary-General, following appropriate consultations, including with the Lebanese Government, to include in his report recommendations in this regard, taking into account the prevailing situation on the ground, the activities actually performed by the Force in its area of operation and its contribution towards the remaining task of restoring international peace and security;

12. Looks forward to the early fulfilment of the mandate of UNIFIL;

13. Stresses the importance of, and the need to achieve, a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East, based on all its relevant resolutions including its resolutions 242 (1967) of 22 November 1967 and 338 (1973) of 22 October 1973.