UN Security Council to hold emergency meeting on Lebanon peacekeepers
The United Nations’ most powerful body will convene an emergency session Tuesday after officials announced that three peacekeepers in southern Lebanon had been killed in the last 24 hours. The meeting was scheduled after a request from France.
It was unclear who was behind the projectile and explosion that killed the three peacekeepers, as the U.N. says the incidents remain under investigation.
Jean-Pierre Lacroix, under-secretary-general for peace operations, said Monday that all three peacekeepers who were killed were from the Indonesian army. That makes 97 fatalities of UNIFIL peacekeepers due to malicious acts since the mission began in March 1978 and a total of more than 330 fatalities — the most of any U.N. peacekeeping operation.
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon said two of its personnel were killed on Monday in a blast in the country's south, after another peacekeeper was killed a day earlier.
"Two UNIFIL peacekeepers were tragically killed in south Lebanon today, when an explosion of unknown origin destroyed their vehicle near Bani Hayyan. A third peacekeeper was severely injured, and a fourth was also hurt," the force said in a statement, adding it had launched an investigation.
Indonesia urged warring parties in the Middle East "to respect international humanitarian law" and called for an urgent U.N. Security Council meeting.
"The safety of peacekeeping troops must be the top priority. All parties to the conflict are urged to respect international humanitarian law and ensure the security of peacekeeping personnel," defense ministry spokesman Rico Ricardo Sirait said in a statement.
UNIFIL said the two personnel were killed Monday in an explosion and the third died late Sunday when a projectile hit their position.
The U.N. force said it launched an investigation into separate incidents.
Condemning the "heinous" attacks, Indonesian Foreign Minister Sugiono said on Tuesday that he had discussed the deaths with U.N. chief Antonio Guterres and asked for an emergency U.N. Security meeting as well as "a swift, thorough and transparent investigation."
"The safety and security of U.N. peacekeepers is non-negotiable and must be upheld at all times," said Sugiono, who like many Indonesians goes by only one name.
Jean-Pierre Lacroix condemned "these unacceptable incidents" and said "all acts that endanger the peacekeepers must stop."
Permanent Security Council member France "condemned in the strongest terms the gunfire" that caused the deaths of three UNIFIL peacekeepers in southern Lebanon in two incidents, Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on the X social media platform.
"France also condemns the serious incidents experienced yesterday (Sunday) by the French contingent in UNIFIL in the Naqoura area," Barrot said, adding that the anger had "been conveyed with the utmost firmness to the Israeli ambassador in Paris."
Israel's military said on Tuesday that it had launched an investigation into separate incidents that killed the U.N. peacekeepers.
- Italy and France express ‘concern’ -
The defense ministers of Italy and France expressed "deep and profound concern" Tuesday over the deteriorating security in Lebanon.
The joint statement by Guido Crosetto and Catherine Vautrin made particular reference to recent attacks targeting personnel from the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon.
In a phone conversation Monday they stressed the "unacceptability of such incidents and the increasing risks faced by the personnel deployed in the mission," the statement said.
The ministers agreed on the strategic importance of UNIFIL, saying Lebanon’s stability constitutes "an indispensable pillar for the balance of the entire Mediterranean basin."
They confirmed Italy and France will continue operating in close coordination to ensure the safety of international personnel, the protection of peace and support for Lebanese authorities.
Source: Agence France Presse
| Copyright © 2012 Naharnet.com. All Rights Reserved. | https://cdn.naharnet.com/stories/en/319256 |