UN Security Council members have agreed that UN peacekeepers should keep monitoring the Israeli-Lebanese border for another six months, a key diplomat said on Wednesday. Lebanon had asked for the UN mission's mandate in the border area to be renewed for an additional year, until 31 January, 2007. But the 15 council members instead reached consensus on an extension until 31 July, 2006, said Augustine Mahiga, TanzaniaÂ’s UN ambassador and also the council president for January. The mandate of the 2000-strong UN Interim Force in Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, will expire on 31 January unless renewed by the council. A vote on a resolution prolonging the mission is expected on Monday or Tuesday, council diplomats said. While the mission has been in place since March 1978 a draft resolution circulated by France on Wednesday would emphasize "the interim nature" of the mission and stress that the council was "looking forward to the early fulfilment of its mandate."
| Only in the UN is something that's lasted just under 30 years and produced no discernable results considered "interim." |
The draft would also urge Israel and Lebanon to put an end to violations of their shared border and renew appeals to Lebanon's government to extend its authority across the south, to prevent attacks on Israel from its side of the border. |