UN peacekeeping chief ‘impressed’ with work of blue helmets in Middle East

The head of United Nations peacekeeping today praised the efforts of blue helmets in the Middle East who, along with their peers in volatile regions such as eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Darfur, face huge challenges.

Speaking to reporters at UN Headquarters in New York, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Alain Le Roy said he “was quite impressed by the work done by the mission” in Lebanon, one of several operations he visited on a recent trip to the region.

Mr. Le Roy noted that no soldiers have been killed or wounded at the border between Lebanon and Israel since 2006, when the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) was bolstered in the wake of the war between Israel and Hizbollah.

He also underscored the role UNIFIL played during the recent Gaza crisis as a deterrent from opening up another front for hostilities.

“The civilian population is extremely pleased by the presence of UNIFIL,” said Mr. Le Roy, adding that Government officials in Israel and Lebanon had expressed appreciation for the mission.

The Under-Secretary-General noted that a few days after his visit, Israel handed over data and maps to the UN on the cluster munitions it fired over southern Lebanon during the 2006 conflict.

Voicing hope that ongoing talks will lead to a quick end to the dispute over Ghajar, a village that straddles the so-called Blue Line separating Lebanon and Israel, he said that he continued to apply pressure on Israel to withdraw from the north of the dividing line.

In a related development, UNFIL reported that it has been informed by the Lebanese authorities of a number of Lebanese citizens who crossed the Blue Line into Israel, UN spokesperson Marie Okabe told reporters in New York.

She noted that UNIFIL is in the process of ascertaining all the facts concerning this issue, adding that “any illegal crossing would constitute a violation of the Blue Line and a violation of Security Council resolution 1701,” the resolution that ended the 2006 war.

Mr. Le Roy also spotlighted the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF), which was established by the Security Council in 1974 following the cessation of hostilities between Israeli and Syrian armed forces on the Golan Heights.

UNDOF is a “very small mission but it’s an example of a traditional peacekeeping mission which still exists and is still very much appreciated. I saw with my own eyes another mission which is clearly making a difference,” he said.