UNSC extends UNIFIL mission for one year only

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
31 Aug 2023 23:08
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The UN Security Council voted in majority in favor of the French draft resolution to renew the UNIFIL mission in Lebanon, as only Russia and China abstained from voting.

An armored UNIFIL vehicle patrols near a billboard with a portrait of Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, in the southern Lebanese town of Houla. (AFP)

The United Nations Security Council voted on Thursday in favor of the French draft resolution regarding the extension of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) mission in Lebanon, according to Al Mayadeen's correspondent.

While Russia and China abstained from voting, 13 countries voted in favor of the resolution, our correspondent reported, adding that China's representative to the United Nations expressed his country's regret "that the reservations of Lebanon, the host country of UNIFIL, were not taken into consideration in the decision."

The Chinese delegate pointed out that "Beijing, which participates in UNIFIL, feels that coordination with the Lebanese army is necessary to maintain peace."

For his part, Russia's representative to the Security Council also expressed his country's regret because "the resolution did not take into consideration the arrangement that was arrived at with Lebanon."

The representative of Russia also stressed "the importance of UNIFIL coordination with the Lebanese Army," expressing his country's concern "about the tensions occurring near the Blue Line in southern Lebanon.

According to the UNSC website, China and Russia not only supported the Lebanese position but also requested the removal of the statement, which was introduced in Resolution 2650 -- it underscores that the UNIFIL mission in Lebanon does not need prior authorization to undertake missions. Significantly, the statement further requested that parties guarantee freedom of movement for the UNIFIL "including by allowing announced and unannounced patrols."

To that end, China and Russia sought to replace the language by saying that "UNIFIL shall benefit from freedom of movement in coordination with the government of Lebanon."

France approved the suggestion, and the statement "including by allowing announced and unannounced patrols" was replaced by "while continuing to coordinate with the Government of Lebanon, as per the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA)."

But in a surprising turn of events, the United Arab Emirates refused China and Russia's in favor of Lebanon, despite French approval, and pressured Paris to reinstate the old language, hinting back at the SOFA, which some countries insisted is the origin of the UNIFIL in Lebanon.

In conclusion, the language of the final proposition retained the language that authorizes UNIFIL to operate independently, as France reinserted the language on "announced and unannounced patrols" in the revised draft resolution that had been put in blue yesterday, while also the reference to the Lebanese Armed Forces-UNIFIL coordination "as per the SOFA" continued to appear in the final revised text.

In a statement to Al Mayadeen, political analyst Wassim Bazzi stressed that while the language of the text remained ambiguous, it would not affect the power balance established on the ground in the South of Lebanon.

Earlier on August 28, Hezbollah Secretary General, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, pointed out that some sides wish to turn the UNIFIL into spies for the Israeli occupation.