"Full UNIFIL support for the security and stabilization of the country". This was stated by General Luciano Portolano at the end of the round of talks that began in recent days in Beirut, where he met the highest political and military authorities, including Prime Minister Tamam Salam, Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri, Defense Minister Samir Moqbel and the commander of the Lebanese armed forces general Jean Kahwagi.
A series of meetings for thehead of mission and force commander of UNIFIL that comes at a delicate moment for the political life of the country that has been facing for over a year a serious institutional crisis dictated by the chronic presidential vacuum, in addition to the very serious problems related to the urban waste collection whose effects have resulted in the recent strong protests only in the Lebanese capital.
The "stability" and the "security" in Lebanon were the themes at the top of the agenda of the talks, with the focus on the developments of the Syrian crisis and on the situation on the Golan Heights which remains extremely volatile, in addition to the situation in the camps Palestinian refugees of whom three insist in the area of responsibility of UNIFIL even though the mission has no correlation with them. In this framework, General Portolano underlined how Southern Lebanon "continues to live a period of substantial stability despite regional tensions" and this thanks to the support of government institutions, to the close cooperation between UNIFIL and the Lebanese Armed Forces and to the proximity of the local population.
Among the topics discussed was the report of the last tripartite meeting - held on 11 August last - which continues to prove to be an effective instrument of dialogue and mediation between Israel and Lebanon, capable of resolving critical issues and problems related to the implementation of resolution 1701.
In acknowledging the efforts made by the government authorities to overcome the political impasse in which the country is located, the general then recalled Resolution n. 2236 of 21 August 2015 with which the UN Security Council extended the one-year mandate of UNIFIL, until 31 August 2016, symptomatic sign of great attention of the international community on Lebanon and renewed confidence in the work of UNIFIL .
(in the photo General Portolano with Lebanese Defense Minister Samir Moqbel)
