BEIRUT: Outgoing UNIFIL head Maj. Gen. Alberto Asarta Cuevas handed over Saturday command of the international forces to Maj. Gen. Paolo Serra of Italy, in a ceremony 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 work with the Lebanese Army, vowing to develop the strategic partnership between the U.N. and the army in a bid to achieve mutual goals of peace and stability in south Lebanon.
He also said that Israel and Lebanon should respect the blue line and cooperate with the 12,000-strong UNIFIL whose mandate was extended last year until August 2012.
Meanwhile, Asarta said that the presence of United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (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, who served as UNIFIL commander for two years, also said the Lebanese Army still need assistance for it to be able to successfully control the border.
Italy's Defense Minister Giampaolo Di Paola, Lebanese Army chief Gen. Jean Kahwagi and Defense Minister Fayez Ghosn were among the many to attend the hand-over ceremony at the UNIFIL headquarters in Naquora, south Lebanon.
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 United States. 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 announce that it would reduce the size of its participation 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.
“This visit has been an occasion to demonstrate the Italian commitment to Lebanon, and the Lebanese people, and is a demonstration of the friendship which links Italy to Lebanon,” Di Paola told reporters at Phoenicia Intercontinental Hotel.