Suleiman Inspects Army, UNIFIL Units in South

President Michel Suleiman toured southern Lebanon on Thursday to inspect army troops and UNIFIL units stationed south of the Litani River.

Defense Minister Fayez Ghosn and Army chief Gen. Jean Qahwaji accompanied Suleiman.

They were welcomed at the UNIFIL French base by the Commanding Officer of the Force Commander Reserve Colonel Cedric du Gardin in the presence of UNIFIL Chief of Staff Brigadier-General Olivier Pougin de la Maisonneuve and the French Ambassador to Lebanon Denis Pietton, said a statement issued by UNIFIL.

Suleiman was then presented with a UNIFIL Honor Guard from the French contingent, it stated.

He extended his greetings and holiday wishes to UNIFIL peacekeepers and met the five French peacekeepers who were injured in an explosive attack on their vehicle in the Tyr area on December 9.

Bonfanti and top UNIFIL officials expressed gratitude to the president and his delegation for the symbolic gesture.

“The visit brings a message of support and solidarity for UNIFIL and the mission we are carrying out,” Bonfanti said.

“This recognition, and the widespread support we received from across the Lebanese political spectrum after the attack on our peacekeepers, will only strengthen our resolve to carry out our mandated tasks,” he stressed.

The Acting Force Commander stressed that those who attacked UNIFIL three times in recent months, in December in Tyr area and in May and July near the city of Sidon, as well as those who have fired rockets from southern Lebanon in recent weeks, aim to undermine not only UNIFIL’s mission but also the hard-won stability that the area has witnessed by the combined efforts of UNIFIL and the Lebanese Armed Forces under U.N. Security Council resolution 1701, he added.

Suleiman visits the South at the end of each year, the National News Agency said.

Earlier this month, five French peacekeepers were injured in a roadside bombing that targeted their vehicle near Tyre.

France is one of the leading troop contributing countries to the peacekeeping mission since UNIFIL was first established in 1978. There are currently more than 1,300 French troops serving with UNIFIL, mainly in the Force Commander Reserve.