Williams Confirms Miqati Heading to New York this Month

U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon Michael Williams praised on Tuesday the government’s commitment to Security Council Resolution 1701and confirmed that Premier Najib Miqati will travel to New York end of September.

“I emphasized the need to safeguard Lebanon’s stability and security, particularly at a time of dramatic changes throughout the Arab world and part of that stability is guaranteed by Security Council Resolution 1701,” Williams said following talks with Miqati at the Grand Serail.

“I am very pleased that the prime minister and his government remain so strongly committed to Security Council Resolution 1701, which I believe has brought stability to Lebanon along the Blue Line for more than five years now since the tragedy of the 2006 war,” he said.

Williams told reporters that he congratulated Miqati on Lebanon’s presidency of the Security Council this month.

He also said he is pleased that President Michel Suleiman will be going to New York later this month to attend the 66th General Assembly meeting and also separately Miqati will be heading to the U.N. headquarters.

“It will be a very important month because many issues will be discussed in the Security Council,” Williams said.

A diplomatic source said Saturday that Miqati will likely head the monthly Security Council meeting on the Middle East on September 27.

When asked if he was confident that Lebanon will remain committed to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, Williams said: “I commended the prime minster on his remarks, I think two days ago, when he made a very strong statement of support with regard to the STL.”

“There have been many courts established on the Former Yugoslavia, Sierra Leone, Cambodia and so on. And this court is well established now and I think is likely to exist for some years,” he added.