UNIFIL chief expects polls to impact work of peacekeepers
June”s parliamentary elections will likely impact the work of UN peacekeepers in the south of Lebanon, the commander of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), General Claudio Graziano, has said.
"The times ahead of us will be challenging for UNIFIL," Graziano said during a French Medal Parade on Wednesday. "The situation in our area of operations remains somewhat volatile and the upcoming electoral period in Lebanon is likely to impact our operations."
UNIFIL”s primary mission is to provide assistance to the Lebanese Army in the ongoing effort to maintain stability on the Lebanese-Israeli border and to facilitate the implementation of UN resolutions 1701 and 1559 which call for, among obligations, full respect for Lebanese sovereignty and the disbanding of militias.
How exactly the upcoming parliamentary elections, pitting Lebanon”s March 14 majority against the Hizbullah-led opposition, would affect UNIFIL”s operations is unclear.
Timor Goksel, a long-serving former UN adviser in Lebanon, seemed unsure of what exactly Graziano meant.
"Normally, according to my knowledge, this is not the case," Goksel said, referring to any operational changes resulting from the elections. "From what I know we have never had any problems, any incidents."
In addition, he noted that parliamentary elections in the south, a stronghold of Hizbullah, generally aren”t that competitive, adding that the Lebanese Army is now more heavily deployed in the region.
However, Goksel acknowledged that the force commander could be acting on information that he was not aware of.
Elias Hanna, a defense analyst and former Lebanese Armed Forces general, said that Graziano was right in calling the situation in the south volatile.
With daily violations of Resolution 1701 (in the form of Israeli overflights), the several Israeli spy networks recently uncovered in Lebanon, and the continued threat of a Hizbullah response to the assassination of its commander Imad Mughniyeh last year, Hanna said UNIFIL is worried that it could get caught in the middle of a new Israel-Hizbullah conflict.
In addition, he noted that Israel will be carrying out large-scale military maneuvers on its side of the Lebanese-Israeli border several days ahead of the polls, from May 31-June 4.
As for any operational changes, Hanna said Graziano was likely referring the post-election period and how a new government might define its policies.
"The government will be different after the elections," Hanna said. "If March 8 and Hizbullah win … the decisions [vis-a-vis 1701 and 1559] will be different."
For his part, Graziano reiterated UNIFIL”s "full commitment" to fulfill its mission and help bring a sustainable peace to Lebanon.