France distributed a draft resolution to members of the Security Council, authorizing the extension of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) until the end of August 2021, in order to continue the implementation of UNSC Resolution 1701.
The French draft resolution included amendments that diplomats described as “balanced”, to counter the pressure exerted by the United States to introduce changes to the mandate of the international forces.
The US is seeking to reduce the number of UNIFIL troops by a third and extending their mandate for six months instead of a full year, in addition to granting the international mission more powers to prevent militants and illegal weapons from circulating in its area of operations between the Blue Line and the Litani River.
Asharq al-Awsat obtained the second draft of the resolution, which was distributed to the council members after three rounds of negotiations.
“Until the last round of negotiations, the US negotiator was insisting on three amendments: reducing the UNIFIL troops from 15,000 to 10,000, decreasing the extension period from 12 months to six months, and preventing (Hezbollah) from continuing its violations of Resolution 1701,” a diplomat told Asharq Al-Awsat.
UNIFIL’s current mandate expires on August 31.
Contrary to the US desire, the French negotiators distributed the second draft of the 29-paragraph draft-resolution, which “extends the current mandate of the UNIFIL until August 31, 2021,” welcomes “the expansion of coordinated activities between UNIFIL and the Lebanese army, and calls for increased cooperation without compromising the UNIFIL mandate.”
It also reiterated the Security Council’s call on the Lebanese government to “submit a plan to increase its naval capabilities as soon as possible… with the aim of reducing the naval force of UNIFIL and transferring its responsibilities to the Lebanese Army.”
A new paragraph was added to the draft stating that the Council welcomed the report of the Secretary-General (of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres) regarding the assessment of the continuity of UNIFIL resources and its options to improve the efficiency and coordination between UNIFIL and the Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator in Lebanon, taking into account the maximum number of forces and the civilian component within the UNIFIL.
The draft resolution called for “an increase in international support for the Lebanese army and all the state’s security institutions” and denounced “all violations of the Blue Line.”
It also urged all parties “to respect the cessation of hostilities, to prevent any violation of the Blue Line, and to cooperate fully with the United Nations and UNIFIL.”
While the Security Council welcomes the “constructive role played by the tripartite mechanism” between Lebanon, the United Nations, and Israel in “facilitating coordination and de-escalating tensions”, it encourages “UNIFIL, in close coordination with the parties, to implement measures to further enhance the capabilities of the tripartite mechanism, including the establishment of additional sub-committees,” according to the French draft resolution.
