UN peacekeeping chief says boosted UNIFIL must support Lebanese troops in ceasefire

The UN peacekeeping chief whose force monitors Lebanon’s south says that redeploying Lebanese troops there is crucial for any solution to ending a year of escalating Hezbollah-Israel violence.

“The redeployment of the Lebanese armed forces is an absolutely central element to any durable settlement,” Under Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix tells reporters during a briefing in the Beirut area.

Lacroix says the UN intends to bolster its peacekeeping mission in Lebanon to better support the Lebanese army once a truce is agreed to, but will not directly enforce a ceasefire.

“I think that has to be very clear. Implementing the [2006 UN Resolution] 1701 is the responsibility of the parties,” says Lacroix. “UNIFIL has a supportive role, and there is a lot of substance in that supporting role.”

Following a truce, UNIFIL’s capacities could be expanded to include clearing explosive devices and reopening roads, he says.

“We don’t necessarily think in terms of numbers, we think in terms of what would be the needs and how could they be fulfilled,” he adds.