Italy’s Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said the UN peacekeeping mission to Lebanon (UNIFIL) is vital to ending war in the region and needs to be strengthened, not withdrawn.
“Israel needs to understand that these (UN) soldiers are not working for any one side. They are there to help maintain peace and promote regional stability,” Crosetto told the parliament.
He said the UNIFIL mandate resolution was last revised in 2006 and needed updating.
“UNIFIL is a complex mission with a mandate that is difficult to implement, has inadequate rules of engagement and forces that are not equipped for the current conflict,” he said.
Crosetto’s comments come after Netanyahu says UNIFIL should temporarily “get out of harm’s way”.
However, Crosetto said the UN peacekeepers were a “key piece for the stability of the entire Middle East”.
“If we cannot even find the strength to have a strong, unified international action in a place like this, we probably won’t succeed anywhere,” he said.
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