UNIFIL has “vocation” to stay in Lebanon, warns Sébastien Lecornu
The peacekeepers of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) “vocation to stay”estimated Monday the French Minister of the Armed Forces, Sébastien Lecornu, two days before a meeting of European contributors to the mission.
“The day the guns fall silent, there will always be this “blue line” (separating Lebanon from Israel), there will be resolution 1701 or a new resolution, there will always be an area that we will have to take responsibility for neutralization »he explained on France 5, adding that “this is why the mission is intended to remain”. “It is the United Nations which put in these forces, it is up to the United Nations to withdraw them, unless ordered by the various contributing nations”estimated Mr. Lecornu.
The European countries contributing to UNIFIL (Italy, France, Spain and Ireland) are due to meet on Wednesday by videoconference to agree their positions. The words of Sébastien Lecornu echo those of the Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, according to whom “there will be no withdrawal of UNIFIL”.
As tensions between Israel and the UN mission increase after five peacekeepers were injured by the Israeli army, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday called on UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to put the blue helmets “take shelter immediately”.
