United Nations Security Council (UNSC):
The members
of the UNSC recalled that all parties should make every effort to sustain the
cessation of hostilities, exercise maximum calm and restraint, and refrain from
any action or rhetoric that could destabilize the region. They welcomed the
will of the concerned parties to make the best use of the tripartite mechanism
that involves UNIFIL and the armed forces of Lebanon and Israel, condemning any
attack against the peacekeepers. The Mission has around 10,500 peacekeepers
coming from 45 troop-contributing States. UNIFIL maintains an intensive level
of operational and other activities amounting to approximately 14,500 actions
per month, day and night, in the area. The Lebanese Armed Forces and UNIFIL –
which is complemented by a six-vessel Maritime Task Force – jointly carry out
seventeen percent of the activities.
With the
resolutions 425 and 426 of 19 March 1978, the UNSC established the Mission to
confirm the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon, restore
international peace and security, and support the Government in guaranteeing
the return of its effective authority in the area. From 2006, in addition to
its mandate, UNIFIL also monitor the cessation of violence. Accompany and help
the Lebanese armed forces as they deploy throughout the South, including along
the Blue Line. Extends its assistance to ensure humanitarian access to civilian
populations and the voluntary and safe return of displaced persons. The Mission
also serves the Lebanese Government, at its request, in securing its borders
and other entry points to block the entrance of arms or related materiel.
According
to the UN press office, in closed consultations on Monday, the Security Council
was briefed by UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jan Kubis, and UN
Undersecretary-General for Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix. Germany’s
deputy U.N. ambassador Jürgen Schulz told the council that “Lebanon is facing an
unprecedented challenge” to its political leadership and the country’s
stability, according to the text of his statement to the closed meeting.
Roshan Amiri
Lebanon–Lebanon government has finally got down to organizing a committee that can tackle the economic meltdown and speak to the International Monetary Fund. The country has never seen a balanced government function. The step seems to have come after Saad Hariri has been replaced by another billionaire politician Najib Mikati.
