Asarta delivers farewell address

UNIFIL transfer of authority between outgoing Spanish Commanding officer, General Alberto Asarta, and incumbent Italian officer, Paolo Serra, was held during a special ceremony at Naqoura HQ today. Here are some extracts from General Asarta's farewell address:    

“I do not know whether my tenure with UNIFIL has been for the better. That is for my Lebanese colleagues to judge […] Our presence here has been characterized by the enduring bond we share with the people of south Lebanon. 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.    

Furthermore, we have witnessed a significant increase in confidence-building between the two parties. This has been largely due to the comprehensive liaison and coordination arrangements put in place, particularly the tripartite forum, which have proved effective in, first, containing incidents or violations, and then engaging the parties in taking practical steps towards conflict prevention and confidence building.    

One such positive outcome of these efforts has been the progress made in the visible marking of the blue line. […]As concerns the issue of northern Ghajar, the deadlock was broken after, in November 2010, Israel accepted, in principle, to withdraw its forces from the area and UNIFIL submitted proposed security arrangements in 2011 […]    

UNIFIL, with the continued backing of the international community and the vital support of troop-contributing countries, will remain committed to maintaining its ongoing operational activities in southern Lebanon; to advancing its current liaison and coordination arrangements with both parties; and to seeking ever closer cooperation with the Lebanese army. Together, we shall continue to do our utmost to pursue our mandated tasks.   

 However, the full implementation of the resolution is faced with a number of strategic challenges, many of which are outside UNIFIL's remit. The most important of them is to make progress towards a permanent ceasefire and a long-term solution to the conflict […]”