The Zionist entity was asked by the UN General Assembly on Friday to compensate Lebanon for $856.4 million in oil spill damages it caused during the July 2006 war.
The Zionist entity was asked by the UN General Assembly on Friday to compensate Lebanon for $856.4 million in oil spill damages it caused during the July 2006 war.
The non-binding vote, which passed 170-6 with three abstentions, asks 'Israel' to offer “prompt and adequate compensation” to Lebanon and other countries affected by the oil spill’s pollution.
While General Assembly votes are non-binding, they reflect broader international opinion without the possibility of veto by world powers like in the Security Council.
The resolution indicated that UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon “expressed grave concern at the lack of any acknowledgment on the part of the Zionist entity of its responsibilities vis-a-vis reparations and compensation” for the oil spill.
Lebanon’s permanent representative to the UN Nawaf Salam hailed the resolution, the Lebanese National News Agency reported.
“Lebanon considers this to be a major progress,” Salam said. “This resolution also paves the way for further compensation into other areas of damage (health, ecosystem services as habitat, potential groundwater contamination, and marine diversity), that were not considered in the current calculated amount.”
“Furthermore, its adoption asserts the will of the overwhelming majority of the international community to hold countries responsible for their internationally wrongful acts,” he added.
“We affirm that Lebanon will continue to mobilize all resources and resort to all legal means to see that this resolution is fully implemented, and that the specified compensation is paid promptly.”
The oil spill was caused by Zionist air force when it bombed oil tanks near a coastal Lebanese power plant during its fierce month-long war against Lebanon.
The attack flooded the Mediterranean coastline with 15,000 tons of oil, according to the United Nations.
The adopted resolution cited $856.4 million (700 million euros) in damages caused by the oil spill, accounting for inflation of a October 2007 estimate by the United Nations Secretary General that reported the spill caused $729 million in damage.
The UN resolution represents an important Lebanese gain in the context of encountering the Israeli plots, which aim at damaging all Lebanon's natural resources, including oil and water.
Lebanese PM: UN Resolution to compensate Lebanon a huge victory
Prime Minister, Tama
m Salam, congratulated the Lebanese on the "United Nation's adopted resolution to compel Israel to compensate Lebanon for the oil spill damages during its attack in July 2006," describing it as a "political and diplomatic achievement and great victory for Lebanon."
In an issued statement Saturday commending the UN Resolution, Salam said "this is a major political and diplomatic victory in the history of Lebanon at the highest international forum, represented in the adoption of the UN General Assembly by an overwhelming majority of a resolution stipulating that 856.4 million USD must be paid by Israel to the Lebanese State, as a compensation for the oil spill damages caused by its bombing of the Jiyye Electricity Plant during its June 2006 aggression."
"We congratulate all Lebanese on this achievement, which is the result of strenuous efforts over the years by the Lebanese diplomacy, especially our delegation to the United Nations," added Salam, considering it "a victory for the right and human values on basis of which the UN Charter was founded."
"We affirm our determination to continue our relentless efforts to get to the actual implementation of this decision, and we hope that the Assembly's step would be the start of applying principles of permanent legal accountability on part of Israel regarding its war crimes."
"Lebanon renews its call on the international community to compel Israel to halt its violations of Lebanese sovereignty, and in cooperation with the international peacekeeping forces, to the demarcation of the rest of the Blue Line and immediate withdrawal from Kfarshouba Hilltops and Shebaa Farms," added Salam.
"Lebanon also confirms its commitment to its full right to its water, oil and gas in its exclusive economic zone, as well as its commitment to stability and security in southern Lebanon, in accordance with Security Council Resolution # 1701," Salam continued.
