Abrupt, uncoordinated searches part of UNIFIL draft: Sources

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Al Mayadeen
30 Aug 2023 01:10

The controversial UNIFIL draft is set to go up for voting on Wednesday, according to Al Mayadeen's sources.

An armored vehicle of the United Nations Interim Forces In Lebanon (UNIFIL) is parked along the barbed wire fence marking the blue line, which represents a line of withdrawal for the Israeli occupation forces in South Lebanon, Kfar Chouba, on July 21, 2023. (AFP)

The draft resolution related to the renewal of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon's (UNIFIL) mission has been put down after a consensus was achieved among the countries involved in the force's stay in Lebanon, diplomatic sources informed on the matter told Al Mayadeen.

This comes after minor amendments were made to the initial proposal, which will allow the resolution to go up for voting on Wednesday at 5:00 PM (GMT+3), the diplomatic officials revealed.

The proposal will include the highly controversial article that allows UNIFIL to independently deploy its forces without coordinating its work with the Lebanese Armed Forces, allowing it to initiate abrupt, uncoordinated search operations.

Furthermore, the article that stipulates UNIFIL's aid to the Lebanese Army, which includes medical and fuel supplies, was scrapped.

On Tuesday, Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah pointed out during his speech on the sixth anniversary of the liberation of the eastern Lebanese outskirts that some sides want to turn the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) into spies for the Israeli occupation.

It is worth noting that the Lebanese Foreign Minister in the caretaker government, Abdullah Bou Habib, announced Lebanon's rejection of the draft resolution put forward by the United Nations Security Council regarding the renewal of the UNIFIL force's mandate.

Bou Habib explained that the draft "does not refer to the necessity and importance of UNIFIL coordinating its operations with the Lebanese government, represented by the Lebanese army."

The Foreign Minister affirmed Lebanon's refusal to legitimize the transfer of UNIFIL's mandate from Chapter VI, in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 1701 of 2006, which calls for resolving the conflict by peaceful means, to Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter, which calls for imposing the resolution by force.

"Recognizing the land borders contributes to putting an end to the ongoing tensions," Bou Habib said.

Lebanon had called during the tripartite meetings, which are being held in Naqoura under the auspices of the United Nations, to complete the talks on addressing the controversial and reserved points related to Lebanon's southern borders; however, the Israeli side did not respond.