29/05/2015 - As part of the activities aimed at promoting the achievement of the objectives contained in Resolution 1701, the meeting between Major General Luciano Portolano (Head of Mission and Commander of UNIFIL forces) and the ambassadors of the 5 member countries took place yesterday in Beirut permanent members of the Security Council, those of the contributing countries of peacekeepers to the UN mission in South Lebanon, together with the special United Nations coordinator for Lebanon (UNSCOL) and the EU ambassador in Beirut.
The occasion was particularly important and fruitful as well as to make a point of situation on the geopolitical context of the Middle Eastern chessboard, in particular the Syrian question and the reflections on Lebanon especially in the South, to signify the state of the UNIFIL Mission which moves in the delicate "peacekeeping" bed under the precise and well-traced 1701 resolution based on chapter VI of the United Nations Charter.
In summary, it was focal to recall how the search for the implementation of the resolution passes through the constant impulse and support of the dialogue between the parties that takes place, as well as with the bilateral meetings, through the peculiar tool of the tripartite table. Furthermore, through the joint efforts of the blue helmets and the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) in the terrestrial and maritime operation area associated with the progress of the Strategic Dialogue, a vehicle for help and assistance consistent with the wider mechanism ofInternational Support Group (ISG).
In particular, General Portolano highlighted the activities carried out in the last 10 months under his command by over 11.000 peacekeepers in the context of an evolving operating environment that requires "flexibility and adaptability". In this way, UNIFIL operates whose area of operations, despite the strong regional instability, continues to remain "stable", he added, noting that this result is not the result of chance but of a holistic and integrated approach by the Mission, capable to systematize the different realities and dimensions among which the military, civil and diplomatic ones stand out. A joint dedication between various actors, first and foremost, the contributing countries themselves with the competition in various capacities, the LAF, the local and religious authorities, without the support of which everything would be difficult to achieve.
General Portolano concluded the event by thanking the Ambassadors agreed for their strong support and especially those of contributing nations because they are convinced that they can rely on their respective contingents as real and credible messengers of peace.
Source: UNIFIL - PIO magg. Paolo Lafiosca