UNIFIL’s mandate expires on August 31. The French draft proposes renewing it for one more year
UN- The United Nations Security Council started negotiations on Monday on a French-drafted resolution to extend a long-running peacekeeping mission in Lebanon and signal an intention to work on an eventual withdrawal of the UN troops.
The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), established in 1978, patrols Lebanon’s southern border with Israel. The mandate for the operation is renewed annually, and the council is expected to vote on August 25 before its current authorization expires at the end of the month.
The French draft text, seen by Reuters, would see the 15-member council indicate “its intention to work on a withdrawal of UNIFIL with the aim of making the Lebanese Government the sole provider of security in southern Lebanon, provided that the Government of Lebanon fully controls all Lebanese territory … and that the parties agree on a comprehensive political arrangement.”
Israel and the US have reportedly opposed the renewal of the force’s mandate. The latter, a veto-wielding council member, told a closed-door council meeting on Monday that the mission should only be extended for one final year, said diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity.
When asked for comment on whether the US wanted to wind down UNIFIL, a State Department spokesperson said: “We don’t comment on ongoing UN Security Council negotiations.”
UNIFIL‘s mandate was expanded in 2006, following a 34 day war between Israel and Hezbollah, to allow peacekeepers to help the Lebanese army keep parts of the south free of weapons or armed personnel other than those of the Lebanese state.
But Hezbollah effectively established control of southern Lebanon despite the presence of the Lebanese army.
The draft Security Council text “urges the international community to intensify its support, including equipment, material and financial” to the Lebanese army.
Lebanon has been grappling with the thorny issue of disarming Hezbollah, with the cabinet this month tasking the army with developing a plan to do so by the end of the year.
The Iran-backed rejected the cabinet’s decision , saying it would fight to keep its weapons and threatening that there will be “no life in Lebanon” if attempts are made to disarm it
Agencies