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Last update - 08:26 21/08/2008 UNIFIL chief seeks meeting with Defense Minister Barak, in vain By Barak Ravid Tags: UNIFIL, Hezbollah, Lebanon  The commander of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), Maj.-Gen. Claudio Graziano, complained last week that Defense Minister Ehud Barak refuses to meet with him to discuss the situation on the Lebanese border and implementing UN Security Council Resolution 1701, a diplomatic source said. UNIFIL's commander accused Israel of violating the resolution by flying over Lebanon, refusing to help remove unexploded cluster bombs fired during the Second Lebanon War and failing to withdraw from Ghajar village. "I've been asking for a meeting with Barak for six months, but they keep putting me off," Graziano reportedly told Dan Carmon, acting head of Israel's delegation to the UN, at a meeting between the two last week. Advertisement The source said Graziano has been complaining that he hasn't been able to meet Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi either. The only senior defense officials willing to meet him were the head of the IDF Planning Branch, Brig. Gen. Amir Eshel, and GOC Northern Command Gadi Eisenkot. Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni met Graziano about a year ago. Barak has been campaigning strongly against Resolution 1701, which ended the Second Lebanon War. He has been telling the public and foreign diplomats repeatedly that it has been a failure and a serious miscalculation by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Livni. Barak says Resolution 1701 has collapsed and UNIFIL has failed to prevent Hezbollah from accumulating more power. If this is true, it is strange that Barak wouldn't meet Graziano to protest on Israel's behalf and explain its demands, the source said. "It may not solve anything but would probably lead to a better understanding of Israel's security needs." Graziano rejected Carmon's accusation that UNIFIL was not providing the Security Council with accurate reports on Hezbollal's growing strength south of the Litani. He said there was no proof Hezbollah was growing stronger in UNIFIL's area, and that Israel has shown UNIFIL no intelligence to this effect. Graziano denied that Hezbollah was violating the Security Council resolution. He said Israel was doing so by flying over Lebanon and infringing its sovereignty. Also, despite UNIFIL's requests, Israel refuses to disclose the precise location of unexploded cluster bombs. In addition, Israel has not pulled out of Ghajar, a village straddling the border between Lebanon and the Golan, as Resolution 1701 stipulates, he said. Bookmark to del.icio.us   Nail in the coffin? Haniyeh: Arrival of blockade-busting boats spells end of Gaza siege. Operation Shalit Islamic Jihad urges Palestinian groups to kidnap Israeli soldiers.   1.   Graziano, perhaps he knows you for a liar 10:59  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 21/08/08   2.   What can you expect from the most Right-Wing Israeli leader? 11:24  |  Rami Noy 21/08/08   3.   Corrupt Israeli generals only attack the UN 19:01  |  They don`t talk 21/08/08   4.   Barak proves israel is at fualt by dodging Meetings 23:47  |  Alan 21/08/08   5.   #3 They don`t talk- You shouldn`t talk 03:50  |  * BEN JABO 22/08/08   6.   #5 They don`t talk, why aren`t you talking now? 18:33  |  * BEN JABO 24/08/08

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