UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander Major General Stefano Del Col today chaired a regular Tripartite meeting with senior officers from the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) and the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) at a UN position in Ras Al Naqoura

Today’s discussions included air and ground violations, the situation along the Blue Line, the issue of permanent violations including the northern part of the village of Ghajar, as well as other issues within the scope of the UN Security Council resolution 1701 and related resolutions.

Opening the meeting, Major General Del Col reiterated UNIFIL’s call to the parties to make sure that any activity close to the Blue Line should be predictable, with sufficient prior notification to allow for coordination with the parties, so as to avoid misunderstandings and prevent incidents

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“UNIFIL stands ready to facilitate follow-up meetings where necessary and as always, our liaison and coordination arrangements are at your disposal at any given time,” he told the delegations, stressing the importance of Tripartite meetings.

“The Tripartite mechanism is a successful conduit in finding solutions and minimizing tensions as it allows us all to take stock of the current pressing issues and security concerns along the Blue Line, in an open and transparent manner,” he continued. “Despite the ongoing heightened regional tension, UNIFIL’s area of operations has remained relatively calm and I sincerely hope that parties will do all they can to ensure this calm and stability is maintained.”

Tripartite meetings have been held regularly under the auspices of UNIFIL since the end of the 2006 war in south Lebanon as an essential conflict management and confidence building mechanism.