Lebanon: Language of mandate extension contradicts framework agreement

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
7 Sep 2022 17:00
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To this end, the Lebanese Minister of Foreign Affairs requests a meeting with the UNIFIL Head of Mission.

UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander Major General Michael Beary visits the Blida area, close to the Blue Line with UNIFIL liaison officers

The UN Security Council decision to extend the UNIFIL mandate in Lebanon is written in a manner that does not go with the decision's framework agreement, the Lebanese Foreign Ministry said Wednesday.

The Ministry responded to press reports regarding Lebanon's request to cancel the references to resolutions 1559 and 1680 in the UNSC decision extending the UNIFIL mandate, clarifying that "Beirut did not ask for the cancellation of the references to resolutions 1559 and 1680."

"Lebanon respects and abides by all Security Council resolutions, and it is out of the question for it to request, and it did not request, the cancellation of the reference to resolutions 1559 and 1680," Beirut said.

The Ministry then added that Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib requested to meet with the head of the UNIFIL mission to underline the importance of coordination between the Lebanese Army and the UN force.

The United Nations Security Council last Wednesday extended the mandate of the UN peacekeeping forces in Lebanon for one year, asking the UNIFIL to continue providing logistical support for the Lebanese army for another six months.

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has been in the Lebanese South since 1978 as a "buffer zone" between Lebanon and the Israeli occupation as the two parties are technically still in a state of war.

The Security Council decided, at the request of Beirut, to extend the 10,000-strong force's mandate until August 2023.

The resolution was adopted by the council's 15 members, who stressed in particulate the "risk that violations of the cessation of hostilities could lead to a new conflict that none of the parties or the region can afford."

The Israeli occupation is notorious for continuously sending drones violating Lebanese airspace, bugging the Lebanese people, and disturbing the silence of their nights for their reconnaissance operations.

The Israeli occupation also violates Lebanon's sovereignty by continuously using its airspace to launch aggression against Syria, not to mention the repeated trespassing into Lebanese territories.