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), air and ground violations, the ongoing visible marking of the Blue Line and the issue of withdrawal of Israeli forces from northern Ghajar.

Major-General Portolano thanked both parties for their positive engagement in the discussions. He said: "I am very encouraged by the clear demonstration by both sides of their intent not only to maintain the prevailing calm along the Blue Line, but going beyond to work with UNIFIL in finding practical solutions to some persistent problems at the tactical level so that we can further mitigate the risk of avoidable incidents or misunderstandings that could inadvertently escalate the situation along the Blue Line."

"I am happy to see the pragmatic manner in which the parties are approaching the issues at hand, and I have emphasized to them the need to seize the opportunity of the continued calm in our area to achieve tangible progress on the ground, so that the security infrastructure we have together established along the Blue Line can be further strengthened. We must build on what has been accomplished through the tripartite arrangements, the dividends of which are accruing on both the sides, and I have called for more proactive efforts by the parties to this end."