The United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, has concluded a four-day visit to Lebanon on Monday as part of a broader visit to three peacekeeping missions in the Middle East.
After meeting with Lebanese officials in Beirut, he also visited the UNIFIL headquarters, where he joined a patrol on the Blue Line and met with military and civilian peacekeepers.
“I appreciate Lebanon’s reiterated support to UNIFIL,” said Lacroix. “The mission plays a critical role in maintaining calm along the Blue Line, and I salute the women and men of UNIFIL who accomplish this important work daily.”
During meetings held on Thursday with Lebanese political leaders and security officials, the UN peacekeeping chief stressed the importance of maintaining calm along the Blue Line to keep a lasting peace in the region, underlining the importance of ensuring UNIFIL’s freedom of movement within its area of operations, to support its work.
On Friday, the Under-Secretary-General attended UNIFIL’s donation of 35,000 liters of fuel to the Lebanese Armed Forces at the Naqoura headquarters as part of the temporary support requested by the Security Council in Resolution 2650 (2022).
“Part of UNIFIL’s mandate is to support the Lebanese authorities and help strengthen their capacities in the south so they can eventually exercise full control over the territory […] I was pleased to see first-hand how UNIFIL peacekeepers are working closely and effectively with the Lebanese Armed Forces to preserve stability along the Blue Line.”
He also visited Camp Shamrock, UNIFIL’s headquarters of the Irish contingent, where he met with the women and men of the Irish contingent and expressed his condolences for the loss of Private Seán Rooney, who was killed on December 14, 2022, and called for the perpetrators to held accountable.
