S/PV.8338 Security Council

In accordance with rule 37 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure, I invite the representatives of Israel and Lebanon to participate in this meeting. The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. Members of the Council have before them document S/2018/796, which contains the text of a draft resolution submitted by France. I wish to draw the attention of Council members to document S/2018/750, which contains the text of a letter dated 30 July 2018 from the Secretary-General addressed to the President of the Security Council. The Council is ready to proceed to the vote on the draft resolution before it. I shall put the draft resolution to the vote now.

The draft resolution received 15 votes in favour. The draft resolution has been adopted unanimously as resolution 2433 (2018). I shall now give the floor to those members of the Council who wish to make statements following the voting.

France welcomes the unanimous adoption of resolution 2433 (2018), which is a strong signal of our collective support for the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), whose role is crucial to safeguarding peace in an extremely troubled regional context. As penholder and as is the case every year, France worked to preserve this Security Council unity. I wish to recall in the first place the significant efforts undertaken by UNIFIL and the Department of Peacekeeping Operations to implement resolution 2373 (2017), adopted last year. We wanted to continue those efforts by improving and clarifying UNIFIL’s tasks. This new resolution also recalls the measures to be taken by Member States to prevent the sale or supply of weapons or materials not authorized by the Government of Lebanon or UNIFIL. But the mandate of the Force, its tasks and capabilities are preserved, and the balance between all the concerns formulated is maintained. As we often repeat, UNIFIL is a regional public good. It is an essential element of stability in an area marred by crises. It fulfils its tasks in a demanding environment, monitoring the cessation of hostilities around the Blue Line and preventing any risk of escalation, including through the Tripartite Mechanism. The mission’s essential deterrent action is at the heart of its mandate. Moreover, the requirement to guarantee the freedom of movement of UNIFIL is strongly recalled in this new text. For us, that is an essential part of the Force’s mandate to which we must remain vigilant, as we saw in the 4 August incident. UNIFIL’s work also supports the strengthening of the Lebanese Armed Forces and their deployment throughout the territory, in order to enable the Lebanese State to fully exercise its authority and sovereignty. Only the presence of the Lebanese State and its armed and security forces, in accordance with resolution 1701 (2006), will create the conditions for lasting stability in southern Lebanon and in Lebanese territorial waters. It is with that purpose in mind that we approached this renewal, in particular with regard to the maritime component of Force, whose missions are intended, when the time comes and gradually, to be provided by the Lebanese Navy. That is also the goal pursued with the standing up of the model regiment, which UNIFIL will continue to support. In that context, and in order to face up to these serious challenges, it is obviously necessary that a Government be rapidly formed in Lebanon. That is also reflected in this resolution. It was essential to reaffirm the unanimous support of the Council for UNIFIL, which we have done today. Protecting the UNIFIL mandate and its neutrality is to contribute to the stability of Lebanon, at a time when its political balances are fragile, and to safeguard peace along the Blue Line.

The United States is pleased to join the consensus in support of the mandate renewal today. I also want to commend France for the cooperative spirit in which it led the process. Maintaining peace and stability between Lebanon and Israel is of paramount importance. The mandate makes clear that the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) must have freedom of movement and access to the Blue Line. The mandate also underscores the importance of the arms embargo included in resolution 1701 (2006). With the support of Iran, Hizbullah has grown its arsenal in Lebanon in direct threat to peace along the Blue Line and the stability of all of Lebanon. In support of the Taif Accords, the Security Council decided that all States shall prevent the sale or supply of arms in Lebanon to any entity other than the Government of Lebanon or UNIFIL. Twelve years later, it is unacceptable that Hizbullah continues to flout this embargo, Lebanon’s sovereignty and the will of the majority of the Lebanese people. Another important component in this mandate is the language on the Maritime Task Force. At the inception of the Task Force, the Security Council failed to provide a clear transition strategy and goal for the Lebanese Navy to work towards eventually assuming responsibilities for the Task Force. We have taken steps to correct that oversight, and urge the international community to support the strengthening and expansion of Lebanese naval capabilities accordingly. As we continue to review missions against our peacekeeping principles, the United States will continue to work to ensure that UNIFIL remains an effective mission. We reiterate our commitment to supporting the stability and peace that the people of Lebanon and Israel have long desired.

The Russian delegation voted in favour of resolution 2433 (2018), regarding the renewal of the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), taking into account, first and foremost, the endorsement of the Lebanese side of the new version of the text. That is a key principle of any peacekeeping operation. The activities of UNIFIL peacekeepers are having a stabilizing effect not only along the Blue Line, which separates Lebanon and Israel, but within the Lebanese State itself and in the Middle East as a whole. We highly value the work of the Tripartite Mechanism in preventing and resolving incidents. That mission should be preserved, and we should avoid attempts to transform it into a politicized instrument. We must bear in mind that peacekeepers are there to help Lebanese State institutions, including security structures; they are not there to replace them. We are convinced that the further activities of this important peacekeeping operation will be conducted while respectfully bearing in mind the views of the Lebanese Government. Any other approach would be unacceptable.

China welcomes the unanimous adoption of resolution 2433 (2018), which demonstrates the Security Council’s important support for the work of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). China acknowledges that UNIFIL continus to effectively fulfil its mandate and is making an important contribution to maintaining overall calm and stability in its area of operation. We commend the cooperation provided by the host country in the performance of UNIFIL’s tasks, as well as the hard work by troop- contributing countries and all peacekeepers. The Security Council’s extension of UNIFIL’s mandate for an additional year is conducive to maintaining stability in southern Lebanon and contributes to further implementing resolution 1701 (2006). The Council and the international community should continue to provide political support to UNIFIL, as well as the necessary resources, so as to ensure that it has the capacity to perform its duties.

I shall now make a statement in my national capacity. Like others, we were pleased to vote in favour of this text. We commend the work of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in helping to maintain calm and stability along the Blue Line. It is vital for the peace, stability and security of both Lebanon and Israel. We call on all parties to respect UNIFIL’s mandate and the Blue Line. The Security Council has today reaffirmed its commitment to Lebanon’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and stability, condemned all violations of the Blue Line and re-stated that it is the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF), along with Lebanon’s other State security agencies, that are the only legitimate defenders of Lebanon. We look forward to receiving the outcomes requested on decreasing the Maritime Task Force and transitioning responsibilities to the LAF. We look forward to seeing tangible outcomes. I now resume my functions as President of the Council. There are no more names inscribed on the list of speakers. Before adjourning the meeting, as this is the last scheduled meeting of the Council for the month of August, I would like to express the sincere appreciation of the delegation of the United Kingdom to the members of the Council, in particular my Permanent Representative colleagues and the staff of their Missions, as well as to the Council’s secretariat for all the support they have given us — and I include the Secretary-General, the Department of Political Affairs, the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and others. It has not been the busiest of months because it has been August. But I think we have been able to get consensus on several important issues that we deal with. Sadly, consensus on some of the most intractable foreign policy problems, notably Syria, continues to elude the Council. I am sure that is something we will want to return to. What success there has been is ascribed to all of us. Without the hard work, support and positive contributions of every delegation and representatives of the Secretariat, things could not have been achieved. Of course, I include the conference servicing officers, our good friends the interpreters, the verbatim reporters and our good friends the security staff. As we end the British presidency, I know I speak on behalf of the Security Council in wishing the delegation of the United States good luck for the month of September.