France said Wednesday it wants the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon to stick to its current mandate, opposing US calls to strengthen the force s authority to deal with arms movements by Hezbollah, the Shia militia.
Anne Gueguen, France s deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, told reporters her government saw no need to change the 2006 Security Council resolution that sets the mission s current mandate, which expires at the end of August.
"We want to keep the mandate as such," she said, adding that "does mean there won t be any change in the resolution."
The 10,500-strong United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon has been in southern Lebanon since 1978, when it was charged with confirming the withdrawal of Israeli forces from a demilitarized zone between the two countries.
After a 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, the UN force s mandate was expanded to include keeping the peace and helping the Lebanese army reassert its authority in the aftermath of the conflict.
"We are for a reaffirmation of its mandate and the optimal effectiveness of its mission," the French diplomat said, speaking before closed door Security Council consultations on renewing UNIFIL s mandate.
On August 7, US ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, said UNIFIL s mandate should be enhanced to prevent the spread of illegal weapons in southern Lebanon, which she blamed on Hezbollah and said threatened the region s stability.
"UNIFIL must increase its capacity and commitment to investigating and reporting these violations," she said.
France, which contributes 800 troops to UNIFIL, plans to submit a resolution extending the force s mandate for another year, Gueguen said.
"UNIFIL plays a decisive role to stabilize the south of Lebanon in a very difficult original context and it has demonstrated a stabilizing effect in the volatile, complex and troubled environment," she said.
In a letter to the Security Council on August 4, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he wanted to look at ways to improve UNIFIL s efforts "regarding the illegal presence of armed personnel, weapons or infrastructure inside its area of operations."
A Security Council vote on renewing UNIFIL s mandate is expected on August 30.
