BEIRUT: Prime Minister Tammam Salam hailed the United Nations resolution calling on Israel to pay Lebanon $856.4 million in compensation for the oil slick that resulted from the striking of a power plant during the July 2006 war.
In a statement released Saturday evening, one day after the U.N. General Assembly voted 170-6 in favor of the resolution, Salam said the news was a “huge political and diplomatic victory for Lebanon.”
The U.N. has previously requested that Israel compensate Lebanon for the slick, but this was the first time that a monetary figure was set. The $856.4 million are the compensation for an oil slick that devastated Lebanon’s Mediterranean coast after Israel jets struck a power plant in Jiyyeh, south Lebanon.
“We congratulate all the Lebanese for this achievement that came as the fruit of persistent efforts over the years by the Lebanese diplomacy represented by our permanent delegation at the U.N.,” Salam said.
The premier hoped that the decision would be the first of many actions by the international community to hold Israel accountable for “the war crimes it commits.”
“Lebanon calls on the international community to force Israel to stop its various violations of Lebanese sovereignty, and to cooperate with the peacekeeping troops to demarcate what is left of the borders and retreat from the Shebaa Farms, Kfarshouba Hills and the north of the Ghajar village,” Salam said.
The U.N. resolution was opposed by Israel, the United States, Canada, Australia, Micronesia and the Marshall Islands.
Three countries abstained from voting, including Cameroon, Papua New Guinea and Tonga.
The resolution noted that "the secretary-general expressed grave concern at the lack of any acknowledgment on the part of the government of Israel of its responsibilities vis-a-vis reparations and compensation" to Lebanon and Syria for the oil spill.
Israel's delegation to the U.N. condemned the decision, saying it is biased and serves an “anti-Israel” agenda. delegation claimed Israel had “immediately” responded to the oil slick “incident” by “closely cooperating” with the United Nations Environment Program and other organizations.
Although not binding, the General Assembly’s resolutions relatively reflect the international public opinion concerning the matter. Only the Security Council resolutions are binding for all members of the U.N.
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