Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament Nabih Berri says the US’ refusal to renew the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) requires an alternative UN peacekeeping force to operate in southern Lebanon, Al Jazeera reports.
In an interview with Asharq Al-Aswat, Berri warns that without a UN mandate, there will be no legal basis for an international presence in the area. He notes that this presence is essential to the Lebanese army’s efforts to extend state sovereignty over its territories, which is conditioned on full Israeli withdrawal.
Berri rejects bilateral agreements between Lebanon and Israel as an alternative to international presence in the south, as long as Israel refuses to implement what was agreed under the US-sponsored “framework agreement”.
Unifil’s mandate in southern Lebanon is set to expire on December 31.
