São Paulo – The UN Security Council decided this Friday (21st) to extend for another year the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). The extension is valid until August 31st 2016.
According to information from the UN website, the council believes that the situation in Lebanon continues to constitute a threat to international peace and security. UNIFIL’s mission is to guarantee an area free of unauthorized weapons on the border of Lebanon and Israel, called Blue Line.
To justify its decision, the resolution points out the “serious disruption” on January 28th of this year, when an incident between the Lebanese militia Hezbollah and the Israel Army resulted in the death of two Israeli soldiers and a Spanish member of the UN’s mission.
Unanimously, the 15 members of the council demanded that the involved parties respect the cessation of hostilities and the prohibition for the entry of weapons, materials and non-authorized people in the Blue Line. The region was the spot of a conflict between Israel and the Hezbollah in 2006.
The resolution states that the cooperation between the UNIFIL and the Lebanese Armed Forces helped create a “new strategic environment” in south Lebanon and calls for further cooperation between them, in particular regarding coordinated and adjacent patrols.
Thus, the council urged for international support to the Lebanese Armed Forces in areas considered the most critic, with counter-terrorism and border protection.
The document also emphasizes for the parties involved to abide “scrupulously” to their obligations to respect the safety and freedom of movement of the members of UNIFIL and that the Israeli army should withdraws for the Lebanese territory Ghajar “without further delay”.
UNIFIL was established in 1978 to supervise the withdrawal of Israeli troops from south Lebanon, to ensure the Peace in the region and to help the local government restore its authority over the territory. The mission’s mandate was modified in 1982, 2000 and was significantly expanded in 2006.
Besides the supervision of the Blue Line, the mission has as its goals to help the Lebanese army in keeping the safety and to monitor eventual violations of the territory by land or air, among others.
Brazil is one of the country members in UNIFIL. The country leads a maritime task force responsible for patrolling the territorial waters of Lebanon to prevent the illegal entry of weapons and relating materials.
*Translated by Sérgio Kakitani
