Naqoura, Lebanon – The Force Commander of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), Major-General Paolo Serra, chaired today a tripartite meeting with senior officials from the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) and the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) at the UN Position at Ras Al Naqoura crossing.

It was a special tripartite meeting called at the initiative of the Force Commander and with the agreement of the representatives of the parties to discuss the security situation in the Shab'a Farms area following the IDF decision to construct a patrol road.

Following the meeting, Major-General Serra said: "UNIFIL's focus is to find the best ways to de-escalate the tensions in this area and maintain the cessation of hostilities, while ensuring the continuing respect for the Line of Withdrawal and maintaining calm in the area. We have had a good discussion and both parties are clearly interested in enhancing security in the area and are committed to working with UNIFIL".

Asked about the position of the LAF on this issue, the Force Commander said that the LAF delegation at the meeting had expressed a firm standpoint and explained in detail its point of view concerning the matter.

The Force Commander said he will continue discussions with the parties on the issue on a bilateral level and urged the parties to continue to utilize UNIFIL's liaison and coordination mechanism to ensure that the cessation of hostilities is maintained.

He added that UNIFIL is committed to the implementation of its mandate and will spare no effort to carry out its tasks under UN Security Council resolution 1701.