Attending the United Nations Security Council’s meeting on November 17, the Vietnamese diplomat laid stress on the significant role of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in assuring security and stability in the region.

He wished the Lebanese leaders would soon establish a government to guide the nation to overcome crisis.

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Vietnamese Ambassador Dang Dinh Quy, head of the Vietnamese mission to the United Nations

The UNIFIL, the UN peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon, was set up in 1978 to confirm Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon, and restore international peace and security. Its mandate had to be adjusted twice, due to developments in 1982 and 2000.

Following the 2006 crisis, the UNSC enhanced the force and decided that in addition to the original mandate, it would monitor the cessation of hostilities, accompany and support the Lebanese armed forces as they deploy throughout the southern region, and extend its assistance to help ensure humanitarian access to civilian populations and the voluntary and safe return of displace persons.

In August 2020, the UNSC adopted Resolution 2539 extending the UNIFIL’s mandate until August 31, 2021.

At the meeting, José Singer Weisinger, Permanent Representative of the Dominican Republic to the United Nations and head of Committee 2374 concerning Mali, reported outcomes of the committee’s activities in 2020.

The committee was established in 2017 to oversee the sanctions measures imposed by the UNSC, such as travel ban on and freezing the assets of designated individuals and entities actively stymying progress in implementing the Agreement of Peace and Reconciliation in Mali signed in 2015 by the country’s Government and both the Plateforme and Coordination des Mouvements de l’Azawad coalitions of armed groups.

Source: VNA