Jean Arnault, Officer-in-Charge of the Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon (UNSCOL), has completed a visit to New York in the context of the Security Council’s consultations on Lebanon. Between 24 and 28 August, he met with the Secretary-General; the Under-Secretaries-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and for Peace Operations; as well as representatives of Lebanon, Israel, members of the Security Council, and regional countries. Mr. Arnault also briefed the Security Council on Friday on the current situation in Lebanon.
In his interactions with Member States, Mr. Arnault emphasized the major security, humanitarian and economic challenges facing Lebanon, including the need to ensure a substantial international presence in southern Lebanon following the end of UNIFIL’s mandate, to help avoid a security vacuum.
Mr. Arnault has now returned to Beirut, where he will continue engaging with all Lebanese parties. He will also continue outreach to regional and international stakeholders in a position to contribute, in particular to the strengthening of the Lebanese Armed Forces as a key actor in safeguarding the country’s internal stability, independence and territorial integrity.
