U.N. Secretary-General Visits UNIFIL

As part of his visit to Lebanon to show the United Nations’ "solidarity with the country and its people," U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres on Tuesday visited UNIFIL Headquarters in south Lebanon and met with peacekeepers, UNIFIL said.

Head of Mission and Force Commander Major General Stefano Del Col received the U.N. chief and briefed him on the mission’s work in the South.

During the visit, Guterres noted that the parties’ commitment to the full implementation of Security Council resolution 1701 and maintaining the cessation of hostilities across the Blue Line is essential.

“It is very important that the parties understand that any conflict in this situation could be a tragedy with unpredictable consequences,” the U.N. chief warned. “The parties must have good faith and must commit themselves to maintain the stability in the Blue Line," he added.

“At the same time, it would be important for the parties to negotiate some aspects in which there are still some doubts about the exact position of the Blue Line together with the negotiation about the maritime border, and it is essential that both sides abstain in relation to any violation of the agreements," Guterres urged.

Major General Del Col took the Secretary-General to U.N. Position 1-32A, the site of the regular Tripartite meetings with senior Lebanese Army and Israeli army officials. He was briefed on UNIFIL’s liaison and coordination mechanisms and the role they play in de-confliction and confidence-building.

The Secretary-General reiterated his call for continued international support to the Lebanese Army, which is "essential for the stability of Lebanon," UNIFIL said.

Hailing UNIFIL’s role in south Lebanon as “the symbol of stability in an unstable region,” he commended peacekeepers for their work there.

“The role that UNIFIL has been playing is largely responsible for the fact that no major confrontation has taken place in the border between Israel and Lebanon,” he added. “And that is to the credit of the work of the men and women that serve U.N. and serve peace in UNIFIL.”

While in south Lebanon, Guterres also held meetings with young peacekeepers, women, and civil society leaders. He also toured a section of the Blue Line and saw first-hand the work UNIFIL peacekeepers do, in coordination with the LAF, to maintain stability in the U.N. mission’s area of operations and along the 120-km Line.

Accompanying the U.N. chief were Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs and Peacekeeping Rosemary DiCarlo, and U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon Joanna Wronecka.