NAQOURA, Lebanon: Newly appointed commander of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon Maj. Gen. Paolo Serra of Italy said over the weekend that he was committed to working with the Lebanese Army.
Outgoing UNIFIL head Maj. Gen. Alberto Asarta Cuevas handed over command of the international force to Serra in a ceremony Saturday attended by foreign and Lebanese diplomats in south Lebanon.
In his first speech as the head of the international force, Serra said he was fully committed to working with the Lebanese Army, and thanked the Lebanese government and its people for welcoming him.
He added that Israel and Lebanon should respect the Blue Line and cooperate with the 12,000-strong United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon force, whose mandate was extended last year until August 2012.
“The respect for the Blue Line by the parties and their cooperation in UNIFIL’s effort to further the visible marking of the Blue Line is a process that can support the improving of the general security for the people of southern Lebanon,” he said.
Serra also praised his predecessor.
“It would not be easy for me to follow your footsteps,” he said. “But rest assured that I will give my best, my complete commitment, to continue this joint effort to bring peace and stability to the region.”
Meanwhile, Asarta praised the Lebanese Army in his farewell speech to mark the end of his two-year stint as commander of the U.N. force.
“Working in close partnership with UNIFIL, [the Lebanese Armed Forces] demonstrated, time and again, and despite constraints faced, its professionalism and outstanding commitment to fulfill Resolution 1701,” he said.
Asarta added that the presence of UNIFIL could not continue indefinitely and that Israel and Lebanon, technically in a state of war, should reach an agreement for a permanent cease-fire.
U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701, which calls for a cessation of hostilities between Lebanon and Israel, was passed in August 2006 in order to help end a month-long conflict between the two countries.
Asarta also said the Lebanese Army still need assistance to be able to successfully control the border, and praised the “enduring bond” between the people of south Lebanon and UNIFIL.
“Over the past two years, our relationship acquired ever new forms of interaction and we made every effort to gain the understanding and support of the local population, so vital for the fulfillment of our tasks,” he said.
The former commander was honored late Saturday night by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri at his residence in Ain al-Tineh, during a ceremony in which Berri praised Asarta’s work, and thanked Spain and all of the Spanish contingent’s peacekeepers.
“Another friend leaves us after serving the south and its residents for two years,” Berri said. “He knew them, and they knew him, in both good and bad times. He lived with them and witnessed the truth of their cause and suffering.”
Serra, the new UNIFIL commander, has an extensive military career and wide experience in multinational peace operations. In 2009, he was appointed chief of staff of NATO’s Rapid Deployable Corps.-Italy. From 2004-07, he served as army attache at the Italian Embassy in the U.S. He has also worked closely with the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan.
The Italian defense minister, who arrived in Beirut Friday and held several talks with high-ranking officials, is expected to visit his country’s 1,000-strong contingent in UNIFIL.
Last year, six Italian peacekeepers were wounded after a roadside bomb targeted a U.N. vehicle on a highway leading to the southern port city of Sidon. The attack prompted Rome to plan a reduction in the size of its troops in the international peacekeeping force.
During a news conference Friday, Di Paola reiterated Italy’s commitment to security in Lebanon, describing it as a crucial element for stability in the Middle East.