UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon hails peaceful mandate since 2006

United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said Saturday the past three years have been "the most peaceful" in UNIFIL's operation, despite a recent suspected Hezbollah's arms stockpiles in the south of the Arab country.

UNIFIL's deputy spokesperson Andrea Tenenti told reporters at the force' headquarters in Naqoura that south Lebanon remains calm in general and that UN peacekeepers are fully coordinating with the Lebanese army, adding that UNIFIL has good relations with locals.

He denied any attempts to increase or lower the number of peacekeepers serving with the mission in a later period.

The UNIFIL troops in Lebanon have been re-enforced by 5,000 peacekeepers after the war between Hezbollah and Israel in July 2006. There are currently 12,000 peacekeepers deployed in south Lebanon.

Regarding UNIFIL's relations with Lebanon, Hezbollah and Israel, Tenenti said UNIFIL has the full commitment of all these parties to fulfill its mission and "this was reiterated during the UN Security Council's meeting on Thursday."

The UN Security Council on Thursday extended the mandate of the UNIFIL for one year without amending its jurisdictions in Resolution 1884 which was drafted by France and endorsed by all 15member states.

The Resolution 1884 extends UNIFIL's mandate, which expires at the end of this month, till August 31, 2010, but does not introduce amendments to the peacekeeping force's powers.

UNIFIL is tasked with monitoring the 2006 ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel and the implementation of Resolution 1701. The Resolution 1884 praised UNIFIL's "positive role that helped the Lebanese army's deployment and the establishment a new strategic climate in the South."

UNIFIL, which was created and assigned by the United Nations in1978, is currently deployed in south of the Litani River in south Lebanon and primarily along the UN-drawn Blue Line, which was the withdrawal line for Israeli troops in 2000.

Resolution 1701 calls on all concerned sides to respect the ceasefire and the Blue Line, and prohibits any unauthorized arms in the operation area of UNIFIL.

However, an arms dump exploded on July 14 in the southern Lebanese village of Khirbet Silim. The UNIFIL and Israel called the incident a "serious violation of Resolution 1701," and Israel accused Hezbollah of stockpiling weapons after the 2006 war. UNIFIL is still investigating the blast.

Israeli President Shimon Peres earlier this week accused Hezbollah of having as many as 80,000 rockets aiming at Israel, which was hit back as "groundless" by Lebanese Foreign Minister Fawzi Salloukh.