وأضاف تينينتي أن "قيادة الـ"يونيفيل" ومهامها تم تحديدها بقرار الأمم المتحدة رقم 1701 وهناك اتفاق في لبنان على مساعدة تلك القوات"، داعيا وسائل الإعلام التي نشرت ذلك الخبر إلى نشر تكذيبه.
In the last days your website published a statement claiming that UNIFIL
has repatriated a number of troops allegedly for spying. Such a statement
is not only baseless and untrue but could damage the credibility of the
peacekeepers and their relations with the people of south Lebanon. For
this reason, I would appreciate it if you publish on your website this
letter, which is designed for the public to have an actual understanding
of how UNIFIL operates and to dispel any misleading declaration.
The mandate of UNIFIL and its tasks are determined by Security Council
resolution 1701 and there is Lebanese consensus in supporting UNIFIL?s
mandate. UNIFIL?s mission, deployment, activities of its forces and rules
of engagement are strictly defined within the framework of this mandate.
All the troops deployed with UNIFIL, coming from 35 countries, are under
UN Command, which is exercised on the ground by the Force Commander, and
they all operate in compliance with the same rules of engagement. The key
element in this entire concept is for the peacekeepers to act in a fully
impartial and objective manner. To that end, UNIFIL deals with all parties
even-handedly, acting in a completely transparent way and keeping UN
Headquarters and the Security Council fully and factually informed about
all the developments on the ground and any violations of resolution 1701.
The focus is on ensuring full respect for and to prevent violations of the
relevant provisions of resolution 1701, irrespective of who is the
perpetrator.
UNIFIL regularly informs the Lebanese public about its activities and
explains all relevant developments. We appreciate your interest in
covering activities of UNIFIL and we stand ready to provide comprehensive
background information on UNIFIL?s activities.
It is important to stress that implementation of resolution 1701 and the
operations of UNIFIL aim to ensure that stability prevails in this area
and that the people of the south feel secure and protected to live in a
peaceful environment. The history of UNIFIL is intertwined with the local
communities of the south and they have lived side by side through
difficult and challenging times. The peacekeepers always try to do their
utmost to assist and protect the local population; at the same time
UNIFIL?s existence would have been hard without the strong support of the
people of the south. This symbiotic co-existence has been a source of
pride for UNIFIL peacekeepers.
