Security Council members stress UN force in Lebanon must have free movement

Members of the Security Council today stressed that the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) must be able to operate freely, and called for an end to clashes in the area, according to the President of the 15-member body.

“Members of the Council insisted that all the violations of the ceasefire should stop – there had been too many in recent weeks – [and] that UNIFIL should be allowed to do its job on the ground without impediment,” Ambassador Jeremy Greenstock of the United Kingdom told reporters following closed-door consultations.

“There are still problems of access for UNIFIL and that point was strongly stressed this morning,” he observed, noting that “there was otherwise warm commendation from the Council for what UNIFIL is doing on the ground.” He added the members also lauded the work of the Secretary-General’s Personal Representative for southern Lebanon, Steffan De Mistura.

UNIFIL’s mandate will expire on 31 July, and Ambassador Greenstock predicted Council action before then, noting that the delegation of France had put forward a draft resolution on the subject which was currently under discussion.