Aoun to Kaag: Lebanon Fully Committed to 1701
President Michel Aoun on Friday told U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon Sigrid Kaag that Lebanon is “fully committed” to U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701 and “all its stipulations.”
The president noted that Lebanon “understands the possible risks that could result from the violation of this resolution,” while pointing out that “Israel is still violating Lebanese airspace, occupying Lebanese territory and carrying out hostile practices that represent a flagrant violation of the U.N. resolution.”
Aoun also said that the government has decided to request another one-year extension of the term of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), emphasizing that cooperation will be boosted between the Lebanese army and UNIFIL through upping the military's capabilities and enhancing its presence in the South and in the country's territorial waters.
And as he underscored the importance of support from the U.N. and the international community for the army in its fight against terrorism, the president said “important steps have been achieved and will restore security and stability on the Lebanese-Syrian border which in the previous years had witnessed terrorist attacks.”
Aoun also urged the international community to increase its assistance to Lebanon to “enable it to maintain welfare for the refugees,” hoping the displaced “will soon be able to return to their country when the peaceful solution to the Syrian crisis makes progress.”
Kaag for her part relayed a verbal message from U.N. chief Antonio Guterres to the president, which involved wishes for the president's “success in his national responsibilities” and a detailed briefing about the deliberations that the Security Council witnessed during the debate of the annual report on the implementation of 1701, the National News Agency said.
The U.N. official highlighted the recommendations that the member states agreed on, especially on the issues of “the demarcation of land and maritime borders and the oil and gas file.”
Kaag also noted that a request has been made to donor countries so that they “boost their aid to Lebanon to alleviate the heavy burden it is facing in terms of catering to the needs of the Syrian refugees.”
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