UNITED NATIONS: UN chief Antonio Guterres said Monday (Jun 1) that it will be necessary to maintain peacekeepers in Lebanon after the mandate of the current mission expires at year-end.
In a report to the Security Council seen by AFP, Guterres proposes three options ranging from nearly 2,000 to more than 5,500 UN personnel to monitor the ceasefire and support the Lebanese armed forces.
“Under all proposed options, a uniformed United Nations presence working to facilitate de-escalation, dialogue, liaison and coordination, and support for the Lebanese Armed Forces, would be necessary… towards the overarching objective of a long-term solution to the conflict,” the report says.
Concerns over the exit of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) come with Israeli troops occupying south Lebanon’s border areas, and as Israel and Lebanon hold direct negotiations seeking to end decades of hostilities.