UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) commander Aroldo Lazaro Saenz gives a speech during a ceremony to mark the International Day of UN Peacekeepers in Naqoura, southern Lebanon, on May 29, 2023. (Photo by Ali Hashisho/Xinhua)
BEIRUT, May 29 (Xinhua) -- The chief of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) emphasized on Monday the importance of the political and security role of the UNIFIL in southern Lebanon to mark the International Day of UN Peacekeepers.
"As peacekeepers, our role is to create the space for a political solution between the parties to emerge," Aroldo Lazaro Saenz, UNIFIL's head of mission and force commander, told a gathering during a ceremony held at the UNIFIL headquarters in Naqoura, according to a statement released by the UN peacekeeping mission.
"Our role is to reduce tensions and prevent the kind of physical conflict that would interfere with resolving the very real political disputes," he added.
The ceremony marking the International Day of UN Peacekeepers as well as the 75th anniversary of UN peacekeeping was themed "Peace Begins with Me," which was attended by members of the Lebanese Armed Forces, security services, political and religious authorities, ambassadors and UN officials.
According to the statement, more than 4,000 UN peacekeepers have lost their lives on missions worldwide since 1948, and 320 since UNIFIL was established in 1978.
Being the largest troop contributor to peacekeeping operations among the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and the second largest contributor to UN peacekeeping assessments, China has become a key actor in UN peacekeeper operations, according to Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Wang Wenbin.
From 2006 to early 2023, Chinese military peacekeepers disposed of more than 15,000 landmines and unexploded ordnance in Lebanon, which has been widely commended by the Lebanese people and the UN Interim Force in Lebanon, Wang noted. ■
UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) soldiers salute their comrades who died in the line of duty during a ceremony to mark the International Day of UN Peacekeepers in Naqoura, southern Lebanon, on May 29, 2023. (Photo by Ali Hashisho/Xinhua)
