Lebanon: UN Special Coordinator Calls for Sustained Solution to the Conflict

UNIFIL soldiers in the Lebanese town of Marwahin on the border with Israel (AP)
UNIFIL soldiers in the Lebanese town of Marwahin on the border with Israel (AP)
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Lebanon: UN Special Coordinator Calls for Sustained Solution to the Conflict

UNIFIL soldiers in the Lebanese town of Marwahin on the border with Israel (AP)
UNIFIL soldiers in the Lebanese town of Marwahin on the border with Israel (AP)

UN special coordinator for Lebanon Joanna Wronecka said on Friday that the adoption of Security Council Resolution 2695 on the renewal of UNIFIL’s mandate should be an opportunity for all sides to recommit to stability in southern Lebanon and along the Blue Line.

During a meeting with Lebanon’s caretaker Foreign Minister Abdullah Bou Habib, Wronecka stressed the importance of working towards the full implementation of Security Council Resolution 1701 (2006).

“It is important to move towards a permanent ceasefire and long-term solution to the conflict in line with Resolution 1701,” a statement issued by the office of the UN Special Coordinator quoted her as saying.

“To this end, UNSCOL works in support of the Lebanese authorities and extends the good offices of the UN Secretary-General for peace and security in the region,” she added.

On the presidential vacuum in Lebanon, she stressed the need to elect a new president and find ways to overcome the current political impasse.

In her upcoming round of meetings, the Special Coordinator will be encouraging stakeholders to adopt a constructive solution-oriented approach, said the statement.

The Special Coordinator reconfirmed the UN’s commitment to support Lebanon and the Lebanese people.



Harris Calls for Gaza Ceasefire after Hamas Leader’s Killing

 US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris speaks to the press before a campaign rally at Western International High School in Detroit, Michigan, October 19, 2024. (AFP)
US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris speaks to the press before a campaign rally at Western International High School in Detroit, Michigan, October 19, 2024. (AFP)
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Harris Calls for Gaza Ceasefire after Hamas Leader’s Killing

 US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris speaks to the press before a campaign rally at Western International High School in Detroit, Michigan, October 19, 2024. (AFP)
US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris speaks to the press before a campaign rally at Western International High School in Detroit, Michigan, October 19, 2024. (AFP)

US Vice President Kamala Harris said on Saturday that the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, a mastermind of the attack that ignited the war in the Gaza Strip, presented an opportunity for a ceasefire in the Middle East.

"This creates an opening that I believe we must take full advantage of to dedicate ourselves to ending this war and bringing the hostages home," Harris told reporters.

"As it relates to the issues in the Middle East and in particular in that region, it has never been easy. But that doesn't mean we give up. It's always going to be difficult."

The Oct. 7 attack Sinwar planned on Israeli communities a year ago killed around 1,200 people, with another 253 dragged back to Gaza as hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

Israel's subsequent war has devastated Gaza, killing more than 42,500 Palestinians, with another 10,000 uncounted dead thought to lie under the rubble, Gaza health authorities say.