Head of the U.N. peacekeeping force in Lebanon, Maj. Gen. Luciano Portolano said that that Lebanon and Israel have showed willingness to maintain stability along the border.
“I was encouraged to see the interest and commitment of both sides to use the tripartite mechanism to ensure good liaison and communication,” Portolano said in remarks published Tuesday.
“This is the bedrock of guaranteeing that the current calm continues. I am grateful for the constructive approach demonstrated by both parties to improve the situation on the ground, to minimize and halt violations and to build on what has been achieved through the tripartite arrangements,” he said in the press release.
Portolano said he was “pleased to report that the period since our last meeting has been calm in our area of operations.”
His comments came after a tripartite meeting at the headquarters of the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in Naqoura Monday. The meeting gathers senior officers from the Lebanese and Israeli armies, in separate rooms.
The UNIFIL statement said “relevant aspects” of the recent U.N. Secretary-General Ban ki-Moon’s report on the implementation of U.N. Security Council resolution 1701 were discussed, including air and ground violations, the ongoing visible marking of the Blue Line and the issue of withdrawal of Israeli forces from northern Ghajar.
