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UN / LEBANON TUNNELS
STORY: UN / LEBANON TUNNELS
TRT: 1:34
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 11 DECEMBER 2018, NEW YORK CITY
FILE - NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, UNHQ exterior
11 DECEMBER 2018, NEW YORK CITY
2. Wide shot, press room
3. Wide shot, journalists
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, United Nations:
“Lt. Gen. Stefano Del Col, the Force Commander of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), met today with Lebanese President Michel Aoun and Speaker Nabih Berri in Beirut and briefed them on developments in connection with tunnels along the Blue Line. He said in a statement afterwards that this is a serious matter and UNIFIL is working in close coordination with the parties, both at the technical level as well as at the leadership level, to ensure that all related facts are objectively determined and diligently addressed in line with UN Security Council Resolution 1701. He briefed the President and the Speaker on his recent visit to a location near Metulla, where technical experts from UNIFIL carried out a site inspection to confirm the existence of a tunnel. Yesterday, a UNIFIL technical team led by the Deputy Force Commander verified the existence of a second tunnel north of the previous one in the same general area. UNIFIL is continuing to follow up on this issue in close coordination with the Lebanese Armed Forces. Most importantly, he said, the calm and stability along the Blue Line must be preserved. He is encouraged to hear from both parties that they have no intention to escalate the situation along the Blue Line and they are keen to continue working with UNIFIL to this end. The situation in UNIFIL’s area of operations south of the Litani River remains calm.”
5. Wide shot, journalists
6. Wide shot, press room
A UN spokesperson said the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has confirmed the existence of a second tunnel in the southern part of the country adding that “calm and stability along the Blue Line must be preserved.”
Speaking to reporters in New York today (11 Dec), UN deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq said UNIFIL Force Commander Lt. Gen. Stefano Del Col met with Lebanese President Michel Aoun and Speaker Nabih Berri in Beirut and briefed them on developments in connection with tunnels along the Blue Line.
In a statement afterwards, Del Col noted that this is a “serious matter” and UNIFIL was working in close coordination with the parties to ensure that “all related facts are objectively determined and diligently addressed in line with UN Security Council Resolution 1701.”
The Force Commander briefed the President and the Speaker on his recent visit to a location near Metulla, where technical experts from UNIFIL carried out a site inspection to confirm the existence of a tunnel. Yesterday, a UNIFIL technical team led by the Deputy Force Commander verified the existence of a second tunnel north of the previous one in the same general area and is continuing to follow up on this issue in close coordination with the Lebanese Armed Forces.
Del Col stressed the importance of preserving calm and stability along the Blue Line and was encouraged to “hear from both parties that they have no intention to escalate the situation along the Blue Line and they are keen to continue working with UNIFIL to this end.” The situation in UNIFIL’s area of operations south of the Litani River “remains calm.”
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