Foreign Affairs Committee Followed Up on the UNIFIL File

The parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs and Expatriates held a session at the National Assembly, chaired by Member of Parliament Fadi Saad, with the attendance of Minister of National Defense Lieutenant General Michel Najjar, members of parliament, the representative of the United Nations Secretary-General Jean Arnault, and representatives from relevant administrations.

After the session, Saad said: "The Committee on Foreign Affairs and Expatriates convened today to discuss UNIFIL, a pressing issue and a public demand to know what will happen after UNIFIL, especially after Resolution 2790. The session was attended by ambassadors and representatives of diplomatic missions in Lebanon from countries contributing personnel to UNIFIL."

He added: "We wanted the Minister of Defense to join us to explain the nature of the work carried out by the Lebanese Army in cooperation with UNIFIL, as well as the Red Cross representative to clarify the type of work and continuous coordination with them. Representatives from the Ministry of Health were also present."

He continued: "The meeting was significant and included a statement from UNIFIL on activities conducted over recent years. There were several statements and interventions, including mention of the 86 MPs who signed a text reflecting parliamentary consensus on UNIFIL—something clearly demonstrated during today’s session. There was strong support for the agreement among Lebanese stakeholders that UNIFIL must remain and that the army must be supported, ensuring no vacuum follows the end of UNIFIL’s mandate. There was also a call for reconsidering this resolution so we can see an effective UNIFIL presence again."

He said: "More than one ambassador expressed interest and support for Lebanon, which encouraged us to continue our efforts to prevent a security vacuum in the south, with further meetings planned with other member states represented in the Security Council, both permanent and non-permanent, aiming to achieve this before the Prime Minister departs to represent Lebanon in New York."

He added: "Today’s session reaffirmed to our international partners in peacekeeping that we are working within an integrated system encompassing security and health. We wished to emphasize that Lebanon, through its parliamentary diplomacy, is fulfilling its role in complementarity with the executive authority. We hope this path leads to a tangible outcome, enabling us to achieve our goal: the presence of international forces under a UN mandate in southern Lebanon, safeguarding Lebanese sovereignty."