Speaker Nabih Berri asked the government and international monitoring bodies on Wednesday to launch an official inquiry into Israel’s reported use of internationally banned weapons during its invasions and occupation of Lebanon.

“We are certain that Lebanon and Palestine were being used as a field for (Israel’s) testing all types of shells before the Balkan syndrome,” he said.

Berri was referring to the high cancer rates that have been reported among soldiers and aid workers who served with NATO peacekeeping forces in Bosnia, which have sparked fears of a link between the illnesses and NATO’s use of depleted-uranium ammunition.

The phenomenon has been dubbed the Balkan syndrome.

“Israel’s daily aggressions against Lebanon, especially those which occurred during  1993, 1996, 1999 as well as other operations, confirm Israel’s use of cluster bombs, flechette shells and depleted-uranium shells,” he claimed.  Israel carried out major bombing campaigns in July 1993 and April 1996, as well as a series of air raids against infrastructure targets in June 1999.

Flechette shells are anti-personnel weapons containing hundreds of steel darts. Depleted uranium is used in armor-piercing weapons such as tank shells and heavy-caliber machine-gun rounds. It is widely believed to be toxic and cause high levels of cancer.

Berri said that the use of depleted-uranium shells in military operations conducted in Lebanon since 1998 were proven by Israeli media reports.

“I ask the government and international authorities to inquire about Lebanon being effected by these types of dangerous shells,” the speaker said.

“Israel will undoubtedly get all the credit for committing these types of war crimes.”

Berri also asked the concerned ministries to immediately start preparing a study and conduct tests, starting by publicizing the potential dangers of radioactivity used in depleted-uranium weapons.

DS 18/01/01