Foreign Relations

Aoun Says Lebanon Wants UNIFIL Extended, Accuses Israel of Year-Long Pressure

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Courtroom-sketch editorial illustration of a formal reception in an ornate Baabda Palace hall: a long row of some twenty men in dark suits stands shoulder to shoulder across the frame for a group portrait, three officials at the centre posed in front of a Lebanese flag on a standard, with tall crystal chandeliers hanging from the beamed ceiling, framed paintings on the pale stone walls behind them, and a large red-and-blue patterned carpet with a low round brass table in the foreground.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said extending UNIFIL's mandate is Lebanon's first choice, in remarks issued by the presidency as he received a parliamentary delegation at Baabda Palace. If the mandate is not extended, he said, a second option would be a formula keeping international forces in the south within the required legal framework, operating alongside and in coordination with the Lebanese Army. Aoun said the force helps residents stay in their villages and towns and strengthens stability. He also charged that Israel rejects UNIFIL's presence and has pressed in that direction for nearly a year, while Lebanon demands it continue. He welcomed a parliamentary initiative and petition backing extension.

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