Suleiman Tours Southern Lebanon to Inspect UNIFIL, Army
President Michel Suleiman kicked off on Friday a tour to inspect the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon units and the Lebanese army troops stationed south of the Litani river.
Suleiman headed aboard a military helicopter to the region amid heavy security deployment.
The president, accompanied by Defense Minister Fayez Ghosn, was received by Army Commander General Jean Qahwaji and UNIFIL Commander Major General Paolo Serra.
He later discussed with Serra the cooperation and coordination measures between the UNIFIL and the army, the state-run National News Agency reported.
Suleiman arrived at Banu Barakat military base in Tyre, where he gave a speech before military personnel.
He stressed in his speech on the role played by the army in maintaining unity and preserving stability throughout Lebanon.
“The military institution was and will always be unbiased and away from the political rhetoric,” Suleiman said.
He hailed the coordination between the army and the UNIFIL peacekeepers in implementing United Nations Security Council resolution 1701.
Earlier, As Safir newspaper quoted presidential sources as saying that Suleiman will reiterate during his visit Lebanon's commitment to Security Council resolution 1701.
He will also urge the international community to force Israel to commit to the resolution.
Suleiman is expected to stress cooperation and coordination between the Lebanese army and the UNIFIL, which bolstered stability in the area.
The president will also stress that the state will exert efforts to provide the army with the logistic and military equipment to enable it to carry out its tasks.
UNIFIL was expanded in 2006 following a devastating war between Hizbullah and Israel and now numbers some 12,000.
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