UN: Attack on UNIFIL violates UN Security Council Resolution 1701
It is impossible to have a military solution; there must be a political solution.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The United Nations (UN) states that attacks on the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) peacekeeping troops constitute a violation of UN Security Council (SC) Resolution 1701, adopted on 11 August 2006 following the Lebanon War.
“The presence of the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) in Lebanon, which is a violation in itself, and all attacks on peacekeeping troops are also violations,” said UN Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix at UN Headquarters in New York.
In a video recording received in Jakarta on Tuesday, Lacroix emphasised that UN Security Council Resolution 1701 serves as a political platform underpinning the achievement of a long-term solution to the situation in southern Lebanon.
“Therefore, based on Resolution 1701 and international law, it is clear that there are many violations,” Lacroix stressed.
“Once again, as reiterated by our Secretary-General, it is impossible to have a military solution; there must be a political solution. The framework for a political solution already exists,” Lacroix said, referring to the resolution.
UN Security Council Resolution 1701 was adopted to end the 2006 Lebanon War, which lasted 34 days between Israel and Hezbollah. The resolution also provides a framework for a permanent ceasefire and a long-term solution based on the establishment of a buffer zone in southern Lebanon.
Several points of Resolution 1701 include requiring Israeli forces to withdraw from southern Lebanon, while Lebanese forces and UNIFIL are deployed throughout the area.
Another point is the need to disarm all armed groups in Lebanon and ensure no weapons or authority other than those of the Lebanese state.
The resolution also mandates that the area between the Blue Line (the withdrawal line spanning 120 km between Lebanon and Israel) and the Litani River be free of any armed personnel, assets, and weapons, except those of the Lebanese Government and UNIFIL.
Praka Farizal Rhomadhon was confirmed killed in the incident, while three other personnel, named Praka Rico Pramudia, Praka Bayu Prakoso, and Praka Arif Kurniawan, were injured.
The UN reported that two Indonesian UNIFIL peacekeepers were killed and two others injured in an attack on a UNIFIL logistics convoy near Bani Hayyan in southern Lebanon on Monday (30/3).
With the addition of two victims in this attack, there have now been three fatalities recorded while carrying out peacekeeping duties in southern Lebanon.