French-Italian proposal for peacekeeping force in Lebanon
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and French President Emmanuel Macron have met in Antibes, France. Photo: Manon Cruz/AP/TT
France and Italy want a new multinational cooperation to take over when the UN peacekeeping mission Unifil ends in Lebanon at the end of the year.
The coalition will be formed in coordination with the EU and the UN, with the aim of “strengthening Lebanon’s sovereignty,” says French President Emmanuel Macron after a meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Antibes.
Unifil’s mandate expires at the end of the year and the force will wind down its operations in southern Lebanon next year.
– From our point of view, it is necessary to ensure an international presence to avoid an extremely dangerous security vacuum, says Meloni.
UNIFIL currently consists of around 7,500 peacekeepers from nearly 50 countries. The operation has been ongoing since 1978.
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