United Nations, April 21 (IANS): The UN Security Council has condemned "in the strongest terms" the attack against the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), which killed one peacekeeper from France and injured three others, two of them seriously.
In a press statement on Monday (Local time), Council members called on the United Nations to swiftly investigate the attack, which occurred on Saturday, to ensure those responsible are held accountable without delay, and to keep the relevant troop-contributing country informed of the progress.
Stressing that peacekeepers must never be targeted, they also expressed their deepest condolences and sympathy to the families of the victims, and their solidarity with France, wishing those injured a speedy and full recovery, reports Xinhua news agency.
They reaffirmed their full support for UNIFIL and urged all parties to take all measures to respect the safety and security of UNIFIL personnel and premises, as well as the mission's freedom of movement, in accordance with international law.
The members also reiterated their strong commitment to the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and unity of Lebanon, calling on parties to fully implement Security Council Resolution 1701 and comply with the agreement on cessation of hostilities reached on April 16.
Earlier on Saturday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres strongly condemned the attack.
"Attacks on peacekeepers must stop. They are grave violations of international humanitarian law and of Security Council Resolution 1701 (2006) and may amount to war crimes," said the statement, issued by spokesperson Stephane Dujarric.
Guterres reiterated his call on all actors to uphold their obligations under international law, ensure the safety of UN personnel and the inviolability of UN property and assets, and respect UNIFIL's freedom of movement, the statement said.
"All attacks on peacekeepers must be promptly investigated, and those responsible must be effectively prosecuted and held accountable," it said.
The statement noted that, according to a UNIFIL initial assessment, the peacekeepers came under fire from non-state actors, presumed to be Hezbollah, while investigating a location where suspected improvised explosive devices had reportedly been placed on a road between two United Nations positions in the UNIFIL area of operations in southern Lebanon.
This is the third incident in recent weeks to have resulted in the deaths of peacekeepers serving with UNIFIL and occurred despite a 10-day cessation of hostilities announced on April 16, the statement said, urging all actors to respect the truce and cease fire.
"The Secretary-General expresses his deepest condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of the peacekeeper who died, and to the Government and people of the French Republic. He wishes a full and fast recovery to the injured peacekeepers," the statement said.
(IANS)
This report was published from a syndicated wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.
