NewsMax.com Wires
Saturday, Aug. 4, 2001

The whole incident has proven extremely embarrassing for the United Nations, which had denied from regional to the highest levels of the world organization to the highest officials in Israel the very existence of the tape. It turns out there were at least two tapes in U.N. possession.

Undersecretary-General for Management Joseph Connor was told by Secretary-General Kofi Annan to investigate the bungling and, after handing Annan the report Thursday, was ordered to brief the Security Council and reporters Friday. During the course of the inquiry the existence of two additional videotapes was revealed. The third is a clip that was shown on Lebanon TV, and is not in U.N. possession.

"The investigation team is convinced on the basis of the evidence that it has seen and heard that the mistakes made followed from lapses in judgment and failures in communication, not from conspiracies or mala fides [bad faith]," the report said.

Annan's spokesman, Fred Eckhard, said: "It is clear that serious errors of judgment were made, in particular by those who failed to convey information to the Israelis which would have been helpful in an assessment of the condition of the three abducted soldiers. The secretary-general regrets this error."

Annan repeated his offer to show to the governments of Israel and Lebanon an edited version of the videotape made on Oct. 8, the day after the abduction.

"He now extends this offer to cover the videotape of Oct. 7, which the investigation has uncovered, and is also willing to show these two governments items recovered from the vehicles which may have a bearing on the condition of the soldiers," Eckhard said. "The report also reveals serious shortcomings in internal communications within the United Nations, and the way procedures for handling sensitive information are applied."

The second newly uncovered video recording comprised "a videotape clip that accompanied a Lebanese television bulletin apparently shown on July 15," the report said. "It shows images of the recovery operation filmed Oct. 8 and also purports to show still photographs of Hezbollah fighters during the abduction incident itself."

The United Nations does not have possession of that tape, and the investigation team "is unaware of any other videotape of the incidents."

"The secretary-general will now take administrative measures, including measures to tighten up these procedures, with a view to ensuring that such lapses in assessment and communication - within the U.N. chain of command and between the United Nations and member governments - do not recur." Eckhard said.

Ambassador Yehuda Lancry of Israel told reporters his nation welcomes the report.

He said it would accept Annan's invitation to view the unedited Oct. 7 videotape, the edited Oct. 8 videotape and the items recovered from the vehicles. He expects experts to arrive at U.N. headquarters to "scrutinize" the material "in some days."

"We are totally convinced of the good faith of the secretary-general," he said.

"I would like to express our satisfaction about Connor's report," Lancry said. "We consider that the work of this commission has been done in a serious and deep and vigorous way and that this commission was able to identify grave dysfunctions and failures inside the system and pointed out these dysfunctions and from the Israeli point of view we welcome the report."

The brouhaha began with the abandonment of Hezbollah positions as reported by U.N. military observers, Connor's report said. That was followed by a Palestinian demonstration and attempt to cross the border from Lebanon into Israel. Three people were killed and about 20 injured by Israeli gunfire.

That was followed by a bombardment at an Israeli border point, the Sheba Pond Road Gate, about two miles south of Shebaa village. Three Israeli soldiers had just arrived in a Jeep on a "regular routine inspection" shortly after 1:30 p.m. local time on a sunny Saturday, the report said. When the dust settled, the Jeep was on fire and the soldiers were gone. Two vehicles previously seen nearby also were missing.

The two vehicles, a white Nissan Pathfinder and a dark blue Range Rover, were found a few hours later about 100 yards apart abandoned, but their engines running, at the side of the road, near Kafar Hamam, about four miles from the attack, the report said. They were not U.N. vehicles.

A contingent from an Indian battalion of the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon was dispatched to recover the cars the following day and ordered to videotape the operation.

Imitation UNIFIL number plates, a U.N. flag, a false antenna and U.N. stickers were found inside the Pathfinder, some of them bloodied, along with three explosive devices, the report said.

Connor told reporters at the briefing it was not believed that the items were used because the sticky side of the stickers was unused and there was a lack of body odor on some apparel. He said in all, 53 items were taken from the two vehicles before they were towed off by UNIFIL. Seven items with bloodstains, including a car floor mat and a belt, were brought to U.N. headquarters in New York.

In his statement, Eckhard said, "The secretary-general wishes once more to express his indignation at the use of United Nations equipment and insignia in the abduction. He regards this as a very serious matter, which he continues to pursue with the government of Lebanon."

Still 35 mm images and digital photographs were taken of the vehicles and contents and an Indian soldier videotaped vehicles and contents.

"An unknown civilian cameraman also appeared later with a video camera and apparently his presence was not questioned by UNIFIL personnel," the report said. It was noted in attempting to explain the existence of the Oct. 7 tape, that an unidentified cameraman was present Oct. 8.

"Armed Hezbollah personnel stopped the convoy" towing the Nissan and Range Rover and "demanded that the vehicles be handed over.

After an hour's confrontation, they were surrendered, "under instruction from the [UNIFIL] commander," Maj. Gen. Seth Kofi Obeng "in order to defuse an armed confrontation and possible loss of life," the report said. "The handing over was videotaped by the Indian battalion. There is no mention of the recovery or the videotape in UNIFIL's daily situation report."

However, the Connor report said, "various peacekeepers wrote several reports on both aspects." The tape was brought to headquarters at Naqoura, Lebanon.

"Gen. Obeng spoke to the director of Asia and Middle East Division of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, [Joachim] Hutter, about the abduction of the Israeli soldiers, the United Nations items recovered and the surrender of the vehicles," the report said. "He also mentioned that the events were captured on videotape. The director [Hutter] does not recall mention of a videotape during this conversation."

Said the report, "There is no mention of the videotape in any written communication from UNIFIL to headquarters until July 9."

When Israel learned of the videotape, it requested a copy. Officials in the world organization, including Annan, denied there was any until last month. Israel said it wanted to see the tape to help determine the fate of the three soldiers.

The United Nations did not want to hand over an unedited recording because it could provide Israeli intelligence with a way of identifying the Hezbollah members who blocked the U.N. recovery operation, leaving it open to charges of complicity with Israel. There have been similar mutterings about the U.N. helping Hezbollah.

"The investigation team therefore concludes that the United Nations did not deliberately mislead the Israeli government," Connor's report said. "Internal U.N. communications were faulty and inadequate.

"The discovery of U.N. items in the vehicles used during the abduction is also a matter of serious concern," it said. "This is in contravention of international law and places the lives of U.N peacekeepers in Lebanon at risk."

Copyright 2001 by United Press International.

All rights reserved.

Read more on this subject in related Hot Topics:
Israel
Middle East
United Nations
A product that might interest you:
Get your site on ALL the top search engines INSTANTLY!