NEW YORK, Oct. 15 – UN peacekeepers will stay in all their positions in Lebanon in spite of the calls made by Israeli authorities to vacate the positions that are in the vicinity of the Blue Line between Lebanon and Israel, the UN peacekeeping chief said on Monday.
“The decision was made that UNIFIL (UN Interim Force in Lebanon) would currently stay in all its positions in spite of the calls that were made by the Israel Defense Forces to vacate the positions that are in the vicinity of the Blue Line,” said Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the UN under-secretary-general for peace operations, after briefing the Security Council on the situation in Lebanon.
“I want to emphasize that this decision still remains,” he said, adding that the decision was confirmed earlier Monday by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, and was carefully considered based on “a number of elements and criteria.”
“Of course the safety and security of the peacekeepers is a paramount priority,” said Lacroix.
