Friday, April 21, 2017

PRIME MINISTER HARIRI VISITS UNIFIL HEADQUARTERS

21 Apr 2017 - Lebanon's Prime Minister Saad Hariri today paid his first visit to the headquarters of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), as part of his tour of the UNIFIL area of operations in southern Lebanon.

UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander Major General Michael Beary received the Prime Minister and his delegation comprising Defense Minister Yaacoub Sarraf, Commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) General Joseph Aoun, and a number of senior LAF officers and government officials.

In his briefing to the high-level government delegation, Major General Beary expressed his deep appreciation for the excellent cooperation accorded by the Government of Lebanon and LAF in the fulfilment of UNIFIL's mandate in accordance with the UN Security Council resolution 1701.

The UNIFIL head also said that the cooperation between UNIFIL and LAF has been crucial for preserving stability along the Blue Line for more than 10 years.

The Prime Minister lauded UNIFIL's commitment and role working together with the LAF to maintain stability along the Blue Line. "I am here today to reaffirm my Government's commitment, with all its components, to Security Council Resolution 1701," he said.

He added: "I urge the UN Secretary-General to support efforts to secure, as soon as possible, a state of permanent ceasefire. This is long overdue, and my Government is committed to move this agenda forward."

He further requested the UN Secretary-General's good offices for the delineation of Lebanon's international borders especially in those areas where the border is disputed or uncertain. 

Major General Beary commended Prime Minister Hariri for reaffirming Lebanon's commitment to resolution 1701 and a permanent ceasefire.

"UNIFIL has been here for too many years," said the UNIFIL head. "We really need to get to a point where we are discussing permanent ceasefire and make sure that that term enters into the lexicon here and we move on to a real settlement."