Major-General Portolano chairs his first Tripartite Meeting as UNIFIL Force Commander

17 Sep 2014

Major-General Portolano chairs his first Tripartite Meeting as UNIFIL Force Commander

The Head of Mission and Force Commander of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), Major-General Luciano Portolano, today chaired a regular tripartite meeting with senior officers from the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) at the UN Position at Ras Al Naqoura crossing.

The participants discussed issues relevant to the implementation of UN Security Council resolution 1701, including the situation along the Line of Withdrawal (Blue Line), the ongoing visible marking of the Blue Line, violations and incidents as well as the issue of withdrawal of Israeli forces from northern Ghajar.

This was the first tripartite meeting chaired by Major-General Portolano, who took over UNIFIL's command on 24 July 2014.

Major-General Portolano expressed his deepest appreciation for the continued commitment that the parties have demonstrated in maintaining the cessation of hostilities:" The tripartite forum remains and indispensable instrument to address issues of vital importance to maintaining the cessation of hostilities, and find agreed solutions with the parties on contentious issues along the Blue Line. In the current tense regional context, this mechanism has continued to deliver, and has proved effective in containing incidents or violations and de-conflicting the situation at critical moments. I was very pleased with today's constructive discussions and the parties' commitment to preserve stability along the Blue Line."

The Force Commander emphasized that the situation in UNIFIL's AO is generally calm.