عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Arab World

Lebanon Requests Extension of UNIFIL Mandate without Modification

Vehicles belonging to UN peacekeepers drive along a road along the Lebanon-Israel border near the southern Lebanese town of Kfar Kila on September 1, 2019. (AFP)
Vehicles belonging to UN peacekeepers drive along a road along the Lebanon-Israel border near the southern Lebanese town of Kfar Kila on September 1, 2019. (AFP)
TT
TT

Lebanon Requests Extension of UNIFIL Mandate without Modification

Vehicles belonging to UN peacekeepers drive along a road along the Lebanon-Israel border near the southern Lebanese town of Kfar Kila on September 1, 2019. (AFP)
Vehicles belonging to UN peacekeepers drive along a road along the Lebanon-Israel border near the southern Lebanese town of Kfar Kila on September 1, 2019. (AFP)

Lebanon said on Monday it wanted to extend the mandate of United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) without any modifications to its mission.

President Michel Aoun delivered the request during a meeting at the Presidential Palace with UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix.

He also noted the adoption of the UNIFIL budget on June 30, remarking that despite regional tensions, southern Lebanon has been enjoying stability since the July 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel.

Aoun praised the existing cooperation between the Lebanese Army and UNIFIL, reiterating his condemnation of Israeli air violations, especially recent ones, through raids launched against Syrian territories from Lebanese airspace.

Aoun reiterated Lebanon’s commitment to the full implementation of UN resolution 1701, calling on the UN to compel Israel to also respect it.

For his part, Lacroix stressed that the UN will always stand by Lebanon, adding that UNIFIL will continue to implement resolution 1701, through the existing cooperation between the Lebanese army and international forces.

Lacroix also held talks with parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab.

Most Viewed

 
 
Arab World

EU Says It Is Ready to Ease Sanctions on Syria

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (R) and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas (L) pose for a photo during their meeting in Ankara, Türkiye, 24 January 2025. (EPA)
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (R) and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas (L) pose for a photo during their meeting in Ankara, Türkiye, 24 January 2025. (EPA)
TT
TT

EU Says It Is Ready to Ease Sanctions on Syria

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (R) and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas (L) pose for a photo during their meeting in Ankara, Türkiye, 24 January 2025. (EPA)
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (R) and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas (L) pose for a photo during their meeting in Ankara, Türkiye, 24 January 2025. (EPA)

The European Union’s foreign policy chief said the 27-member bloc is ready to ease sanctions on Syria, but added the move would be a gradual one contingent on the transitional Syrian government’s actions.

Speaking during a joint news conference in Ankara with Türkiye's foreign minister on Friday, Kaja Kallas also said the EU was considering introducing a “fallback mechanism” that would allow it to reimpose sanctions if the situation in Syria worsens.

“If we see the steps of the Syrian leadership going to the right direction, then we are also willing to ease next level of sanctions,” she said. “We also want to have a fallback mechanism. If we see that the developments are going to the wrong direction, we are also putting the sanctions back.”

The top EU diplomat said the EU would start by easing sanctions that are necessary to rebuild the country that has been battered by more than a decade of civil war.

The plan to ease sanctions on Syria would be discussed at a EU foreign ministers meeting on Monday, Kallas said.