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Aoun Lauds Renewal of UNIFIL Mandate ahead of Trip to New York

President Michel Aoun meets with UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Sigrid Kaag at Baabda Palace. (Dalati and Nohra photo)
President Michel Aoun meets with UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Sigrid Kaag at Baabda Palace. (Dalati and Nohra photo)
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Aoun Lauds Renewal of UNIFIL Mandate ahead of Trip to New York

President Michel Aoun meets with UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Sigrid Kaag at Baabda Palace. (Dalati and Nohra photo)
President Michel Aoun meets with UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Sigrid Kaag at Baabda Palace. (Dalati and Nohra photo)

Lebanese President Michel Aoun on Friday welcomed the renewal of the mandate of the UN peacekeeping force in the country and said he was satisfied with the international community’s favorite response to Lebanon’s demands on allowing UNIFIL to function in line with the standards it was established on.

Last month, the Security Council extended the mandate of the peacekeeping force, which now has 10,500 troops on the ground monitoring a 2006 ceasefire following Israel's summer war with Hezbollah.

Aoun made the remarks in talks with United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon Sigrid Kaag at Baabda Palace.

The meeting took place prior to Aoun’s participation at the United Nations General Assembly in New York and his meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

Aoun and Kaag discussed the implementation of UN resolutions, particularly resolutions 1701 and 2373. The Special Coordinator reiterated the international community’s commitment to safeguarding Lebanon’s security, sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The Lebanese president sent his regards to Guterres, saying the meeting in New York will be an opportunity to discuss issues of common interest “mainly Lebanon’s request to become an international center for the dialogue of civilizations and religions, and the importance of cooperation with international organizations that provide assistance to Syrian refugees.”

Aoun’s scheduled meeting with the UN chief would be their second encounter after they had held talks on the sidelines of the Arab League summit in Jordan last March.

The Lebanese president also discussed with Kaag repeated Israeli violations of Lebanese sovereignty amid a complaint that Lebanon has recently filed with the Security Council.

Aoun also met Friday with EU Ambassador Christina Lassen.

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Italy Plans to Return Ambassador to Syria to Reflect New Diplomatic Developments, Minister Says

Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)
Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)
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Italy Plans to Return Ambassador to Syria to Reflect New Diplomatic Developments, Minister Says

Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)
Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)

Italy plans to send an ambassador back to Syria after a decade-long absence, the country’s foreign minister said, in a diplomatic move that could spark divisions among European Union allies.

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, speaking in front of relevant parliamentary committees Thursday, announced Rome’s intention to re-establish diplomatic ties with Syria to prevent Russia from monopolizing diplomatic efforts in the Middle Eastern country.

Moscow is considered a key supporter of Syrian President Bashar Assad, who has remained in power despite widespread Western isolation and civilian casualties since the start of Syria’s civil war in March 2011.

Peaceful protests against the Assad government — part of the so-called “Arab Spring” popular uprisings that spread across some of the Middle East — were met by a brutal crackdown, and the uprising quickly spiraled into a full-blown civil war.

The conflict was further complicated by the intervention of foreign forces on all sides and a rising militancy, first by al-Qaida-linked groups and then the ISIS group until its defeat on the battlefield in 2019.

The war, which has killed nearly half a million people and displaced half the country’s pre-war population of 23 million, is now largely frozen, despite ongoing low-level fighting.

The country is effectively carved up into areas controlled by the Damascus-based government of Assad, various opposition groups and Syrian Kurdish forces.

In the early days of the conflict, many Western and Arab countries cut off relations with Syria, including Italy, which has since managed Syria-related diplomacy through its embassy in Beirut.

However, since Assad has regained control over most of the territory, neighboring Arab countries have gradually restored relations, with the most symbolically significant move coming last year when Syria was re-admitted to the Arab League.

Tajani said Thursday the EU’s policy in Syria should be adapted to the “development of the situation,” adding that Italy has received support from Austria, Croatia, Greece, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Cyprus and Slovakia.

However, the US and allied countries in Europe have largely continued to hold firm in their stance against Assad’s government, due to concerns over human rights violations.