Naqoura, Lebanon
Thursday, 24 July 2014
It is a privilege for me to be invited to speak on the occasion of the transfer of command of UNIFIL from Gen. Paolo Serra to Gen. Luciano Portolano.
Gen. Serra and I began our missions at exactly the same time two and a half years ago. The partnership between my office and UNIFIL has grown since then, as has our friendship.
Gen. Serra’s success in his mission is clear for all of us to see today – helping to sustain the calm that has prevailed across the Blue Line since the adoption of Resolution 1701 almost eight years ago and working with the Lebanese Armed Forces to deepen stability in the South.
Through the past two and a half years Lebanon has been resilient and the parties have sustained their commitment to the cessation of hostilities across the Blue Line, in contrast to the appalling events elsewhere in the region – in Syria, in Iraq, and now tragically in Gaza.
When I briefed Security Council members earlier this month there was absolute unanimity as to the importance of sustaining the calm here and recognition of the crucial role played in that by UNIFIL – and warm appreciation for Gen. Serra’s contribution in that regard.
I have been privileged to see that contribution at close hand. I have seen the dedication and commitment with which Gen Serra has responded to the incidents that have occurred across the Blue Line, and there have been several serious ones in the past year – maintaining contact at the highest level through the night, interceding to contain incidents and de-escalate.
I have seen too his diplomatic skills, which will be in demand in his new job in New York. He is a tough General but also a skilled negotiator who has strengthened the Tripartite Mechanism so that it has become an effective tool not just for resolving problems after they arise but also for addressing potential points of friction.
And I have heard the testimony of others on all sides to his qualities of leadership, which have helped to ensure that UNIFIL is seen as delivering across the board – a proactive, efficient force concerned not just to sustain the cessation of hostilities but also to help the communities here in the South among which it is deployed.
From all of this it will be clear that I will miss Paolo. But Italy’s contribution to the implementation of Resolution 1701 which has meant so much here in the South continues with the appointment of General Portolano. We are lucky to have as Paolo’s successor someone who comes to UNIFIL after such a long and distinguished military career. I look forward to working closely with him in the period ahead.
I take this opportunity to thank His Excellency Deputy Prime Minister Mukbel and Gen. Kahwaji for honoring us with their presence here today and for their unstinting support for the United Nations and you Minister for coming all the way to Naqoura to attend the ceremony and for your government’s commitment to UNIFIL and to Lebanon, as symbolized most recently by the successful ministerial conference on support for the Lebanese Armed Forces in Rome last month.
Finally, I join my own thanks to those of the Secretary-General to you Paolo for your excellent service and leadership of UNIFIL over the past two and a half years, and once again warmly welcome you Gen. Portolano as his worthy successor.