UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix today concluded the Lebanon leg of his trip to the Middle East, during which he strongly stressed the need for de-escalation and return to a cessation of hostilities.
In meetings with senior Lebanese officials earlier in the week, Mr. Lacroix highlighted the risk of a wider conflagration and called for maximum restraint and a cessation of the ongoing intensified exchanges of fire across the Blue Line.
While in Lebanon where he arrived on Tuesday 30 July, the UN peacekeeping chief also met with members of the diplomatic corps as well as UN officials and peacekeepers.
During his visit to the UNIFIL Headquarters in Naqoura and its area of operations, UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander Lt. Gen. Aroldo Lázaro provided Mr. Lacroix with latest updates on the situation in the area and along the Blue Line, and briefed him on the mission’s best efforts to prevent further escalation.
Mr. Lacroix also interacted with peacekeepers in Naqoura, Shama and Ibl el-Saqi, in south Lebanon.
“I commend the role played by the UNIFIL leadership and peacekeepers in ensuring liaison between the parties, mitigating the risk of miscalculation and preventing further escalation in these very challenging times,” he said. “Contacts with authorities on both sides must be intensified and sustained, encouraging a return to the cessation of hostilities and a recommitment to Resolution 1701 as a path toward a long-term diplomatic solution.”
“Current events further demonstrate that this resolution is even more relevant now,” he added. “It continues to serve as the appropriate framework to achieve progress toward a permanent ceasefire.”
He assured that the UN will continue to support the parties and facilitate any efforts for a lasting peace and stability across the Blue Line.