Ban Meets Mansour in Doha, Confirms Lebanon Visit in January

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon praised on Sunday Lebanon’s condemnation of Friday’s attack against the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon, confirmed that he will visit Lebanon in January.

He told Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour that he will visit the country on January 13 and 14.

The two officials held talks in Qatar where the minister is scheduled to take part in the Fourth Forum of the U.N. Alliance of Civilizations.

Ban is expected to meet with President Michel Suleiman, Prime Minister Najib Miqati, Speaker Nabih Berri, and UNIFIL Commander Major General Alberto Asarta.

The U.N. chief also praised Lebanon’s decision to fund the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, saying that it demonstrates the extent of the country’s commitment to international obligations.

For his part, Mansour renewed Lebanon’s condemnation of the attack against UNIFIL that took place in Tyre.

He stressed that Lebanon is committed to the international troops’ mission, lauding their role in bolstering security in the South.

Five French soldiers and two civilians were wounded on Friday by a powerful roadside bomb that targeted a UNIFIL patrol in the southern coastal city of Tyre.

The explosives were placed in a garbage bin in the area of al-Nabaa on the road that leads to Burj al-Shamali in Tyre.

The blast left a one-meter deep crater and caused damages to nearby houses.