By Mohammed Zaatari and Elias Sakr
BLAT/BEIRUT: Spanish Foreign minister Miguel Angel Moratinos said on Tuesday that United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701 has not yet been implemented, citing Israel's daily violations of Lebanese airspace. Speaking during a news conference at the base of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon's (UNIFIL) Spanish contingent in the Southern village of Blat, Moratinos said the matter of Hizbullah's weapons "is an internal issue."
"It should be discussed during dialogue talks," he added.
Moratinos also hailed the efforts exerted by peacekeepers to preserve security and stability in South Lebanon.
Spanish peacekeeping troops came under attack after the UNIFIL's mandate was beefed up in the aftermath the summer 2006 war. The blast near the Israeli border on June 24, 2007, killed three Spaniards and three Colombians, all six operating as part of the Spanish contingent.
Moratinos said following a meeting with Prime Minister Fouad Siniora that intensive efforts to complete the peace process in the Middle East were "progressing positively" with the Palestinians as well as the Syrians engaging in negotiations with Israel.
Moratinos also expressed his country's wish to promote the role of UNIFIL in preserving peace and implementing UN Resolution 1701. He added that he considers efforts to reinforce unity and the sovereignty of the Lebanese state encouraging.
Moratinos also played down the possibility of an new Israeli war against Lebanon.
The minister had told As-Safir newspaper in remarks published Monday that Lebanese political leaders must come up with their own solutions to their problems. "The Lebanese should change things from the inside and not wait for solutions from the outside," he added.
He also urged the Lebanese state to put together a negotiation strategy with Israel similar to Syria's.
Regarding Syrian-Lebanese relations, Moratinos described the two countries' efforts to establish official diplomatic ties as "constructive."
Moratinos met with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri in Ain al-Tineh shortly after the end of the first dialogue session between rival Lebanese political factions on Tuesday.
Moratinos stressed after his talks with Berri that the start of national dialogue is "promising and positive."
He added that a "good" Lebanese-Syrian relationship would be "reciprocally beneficial" to both states.
Moratinos delivered to Berri an invitation to visit Spain.
The Spanish foreign minister, who concluded his visit to Lebanon by meeting with President Michel Sleiman, said he was "comfortable" with Sleiman's latest visit to Syria. "The Lebanese-Syrian relationship is getting back on the right track following the visit," he added.
Moratinos also stressed the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their homeland and said he supported the liberation of the occupied Shebaa Farms and the village of Ghajar. Moratinos also delivered to Sleiman an invitation from Spanish King Juan Carlos to visit Spain
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