UN envoy pushes Lebanon-Israel truce consolidation as humanitarian crisis deepens
NEW YORK CITY: The UN’s top official for Lebanon began a visit to Israel on Tuesday for talks with senior officials on consolidating the cessation of hostilities and advancing implementation of Security Council Resolution 1701, as humanitarian agencies warned that conditions on the ground in Lebanon remain critical despite a reduction in hostilities.
Jean Arnault, officer-in-charge of the Office of the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, is scheduled to meet senior Israeli officials, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters at a daily briefing.
Dujarric told Arab News the envoy was pressing for the full respect of Resolution 1701 to end hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel, for all parties to respect Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and for a return to calm along the Blue Line on both sides of the Lebanon-Israel border, “for the sake of people on both sides.”
The visit follows a series of meetings Arnault held in Lebanon in recent days. He met Interior Minister Ahmad Al-Hajjar on Monday and separately with Lebanese Army chief Gen. Rodolph Haykal, with discussions focused on recent developments and efforts to strengthen stability in the country, Dujarric said.
