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Western, UN and Lebanese officials dismiss reports on ending UNIFIL mission
[NAHARNET] Western and United Nations...a lucrative dumping ground for the relatives of dictators and party hacks... diplomats dismissed as rumors claims that the U.N. Interim Force in Leb ...home of the original Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade.... (UNIFIL) was pulling out of the country, Saudi Arabia  ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula, largely made up of sand and oil rigs. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual haj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. Formerly dictatorial and steeped in Olde Tyme Religion, deferring to Salafist holy men on all issues, it has now done a 180 and is making a serious effort to modernize, so as not to be left in the sand by its Gulf Arab neighbors. The holy men have been shoved to the background and the nation is now still dictatorial but somewhat rational. That doesn't make them trustworthy, but it's a start...'s Asharq al-Awsat newspaper has reported. The Lebanese government is expected to request the extension of the peacekeeping forces' mandate that expires in August. A U.S. State Department spokesperson told Asharq al-Awsat that the reports about the withdrawal are ''inaccurate''. He did not elaborate further. UNIFIL has been deployed in southern Lebanon since March 1978. Some amendments to its mandate were introduced after the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982 and again after the July 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah. Debate rages every year over its duties as the deadline for renewing its mission approaches. Some countries have sought to grant the force more powers, which would put it at odds with Hezbollah that holds sway in the areas of its deployment. Hezbollah was severely weakened after last year's war with Israel and the ensuing ceasefire agreement had demanded that the Iran-backed party remove its weapons from the South. UNIFIL forces are deployed south of the Litani River and along the border with Israel. It boasts over 10,000 soldiers from some 50 countries, as well as 800 civilian employees. UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea Tenenti told Asharq al-Awsat that the forces' greatest challenge is the lack of a long-term political solution between Lebanon and Israel. UNIFIL continues to encourage the parties to renew their commitment to fully implementing U.N. Security Council resolution 1701 and taking tangible steps to address pending issues related to it, including steps that would lead to a permanent ceasefire, he added. Posted by: Fred 2025-06-11 |
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