EU renews call for 'immediate ceasefire' in Lebanon
The EU foreign policy chief on Monday renewed calls for an "immediate ceasefire" in Lebanon and condemned Israel's "unacceptable attacks" on U.N. peacekeepers.
The offensive against Hezbollah has thrust the UNIFIL peacekeeping mission to the forefront of the escalating conflict in the Middle East.
UNIFIL, deployed in southern Lebanon since 1978, has reported several injuries and damage to its facilities since Israel launched its ground offensive at the end of September.
The European Union calls "for an immediate ceasefire across the blue lines" UNIFIL monitors and the respect of relevant U.N. Security Council resolutions, foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told a forum in Barcelona.
Only U.N. peacekeepers and the Lebanese army should be deployed in southern Lebanon, according to a 2006 Security Council resolution agreed after the last Israel-Hezbollah war that year.
Borrell also spoke of "condemning the unacceptable attacks" by Israeli forces against UNIFIL structures and personnel.
Referring to U.N. warnings that Gaza's humanitarian crisis was the worst since World War II, Borrell said the forum gathering leaders from the Mediterranean region must do more than "just expressing concern".
"The way this war is being taken against civilians has grave concerns and put too many unanswered questions."
Source: Agence France Presse
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