MADRID, March 31 (Xinhua) -- Spain's Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation Jose Manuel Albares has "unequivocally" condemned the killing of three Indonesian peacekeepers serving with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), expressing outrage at the attacks and demanded an investigation in an interview with Radio Euskadi on Tuesday.
The three Indonesian troops, who were part of a Spanish-led UNIFIL contingent, were killed in two separate incidents in southern Lebanon earlier this week following explosions caused by projectiles of unknown origin. The incidents occurred in an area where Israeli forces are operating.
Spain is one of the troop-contributing countries to UNIFIL, with around 600 to 700 personnel deployed in Lebanon, and leads UNIFIL's eastern sector.
"We are talking about peacekeeping forces under the United Nations flag, who must be free from any kind of attack. We are talking about the deaths of Indonesian soldiers who were under Spanish command," the minister said, insisting that UN peacekeeping forces "must be respected."
"They are completely inviolable, and of course, we demand an investigation, that the circumstances be clarified, and that all those responsible be held accountable," he added.
"These United Nations forces, which include the largest contingent of Spanish military personnel deployed abroad, are there precisely to help bring about peace, the development of Lebanon, and coexistence between Lebanese and Israelis," Albares said.
"That is also what is being attacked, and we condemn it and demand that the facts be clarified," he added.
Albares also criticized the ongoing Israeli military operations in Lebanon, which he said have caused significant casualties and displacement.
"We are talking about a sovereign state with a government that was committed to the future of Lebanon, and that entire future of a peaceful Lebanon has been completely destroyed," he said. ■
