Lecra in Beirut urges UNIFIL presence
After the expiration of the UNIFIL mandate in southern Lebanon, Lebanese officials reaffirmed their determination to retain the international force to ensure stability and security in the region, and to prevent an security vacuum. The President of the Republic emphasized that the withdrawal of UNIFIL would create a vacuum with negative impacts on the security situation, and highlighted that the international forces play a social and humanitarian role. He expressed Lebanon's hope that the Security Council would respond to preserve the mission. The Speaker of the Parliament also emphasized the unity of the Lebanese position in insisting on the international forces' mission to support the implementation of Resolution 1701 and to uphold Lebanese sovereignty, amid ongoing Israeli violations of that sovereignty. Prime Minister Nohad Machnouk affirmed rejecting the occurrence of a security vacuum after UNIFIL's mission concludes, and expressed readiness to explore a new international framework to extend the forces' presence, provided that the mandate is authorized by the Security Council.
Notice: This Is an AI-Generated Summary
Comments (0)