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STORY: UN / LACROIX MIDDLE EAST
TRT: 02:57
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 27 JUNE 2025, NEW YORK CITY / FILE
FILE - NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, exterior UN Headquarters
27 JUNE 2025, NEW YORK CITY
2. Wide shot, press room dais
3. Med shot, journalists
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, United Nations:
“The Lebanese Armed Forces have continued to strengthen their presence South of the Litani River, and that has happened with the support of UNIFIL. There has been additional action with a view to identify and eventually neutralize caches of weapons, which is an important element in the implementation of a resolution 1701.”
5. Wide shot, dais
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, United Nations:
“There continues to be violations, there continues to be more that needs to be done, again, to achieve a full implementation of that resolution.”
7. Med shot, journalists
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, United Nations:
“High, very high level of appreciation to General Lázaro, who was at the head of UNIFIL during extremely, extremely challenging time. And at the same time, of course, we very much welcome General Abagnara from Italy, who just took over as the new Force Commander.”
9. Wide shot, dais
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, United Nations:
“The Force is operating in a changed environment, where on the one hand, of course, there was this change in the political dispensation in Syria. But also, the presence of the Israeli Defence Forces in the area, the so-called area of separation, where according to the 1973 Disengagement of Forces agreement, only UNDOF can be present with a military presence. And of course, the presence of the IDF in those areas is a violation, it's quite clear.”
11. Med shot, journalists
12. SOUNDBITE (English) Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, United Nations:
“I heard very clearly from the Syrian authorities that they are ready to assume the full authority of the whole of the Syrian territory, including, deploying the military and security presence to all Syrian territory.”
13. Med shot, journalists
14. SOUNDBITE (English) Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, United Nations:
“We welcome these efforts, and in fact, we welcome all efforts for de-escalation and the advancement of dialog in the DRC and in the wider Great Lakes region. Of course, as UN and particularly when it comes to MONUSCO, we are fully committed to supporting these efforts and the implementation of the peace agreement.”
15. Wide shot, end of briefing
Upon his return from the Middle East, Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix, today (27 Jun) told journalists in New York that Lebanese Armed Forces “have continued to strengthen their presence South of the Litani River,” with the support of the United Nations Interim Force In Lebanon (UNIFIL), while in the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) area of operations, Syrian authorities have indicated that they are ready to deploy “the military and security presence to all Syrian territory.”
Lacroix said in Lebanon, “there has been additional action with a view to identify and eventually neutralize caches of weapons, which is an important element in the implementation of a resolution 1701.”
Nevertheless, he said, “there continues to be violations, there continues to be more that needs to be done, again, to achieve a full implementation of that resolution.”
Lacroix commended General Aroldo Lázaro, “who was at the head of UNIFIL during extremely, extremely challenging time” and welcomed General Diodato Abagnara, who just took over as the new Force Commander.
UNDOF, he said, “is operating in a changed environment, where on the one hand, of course, there was this change in the political dispensation in Syria.”
The Under-Secretary-General noted “the presence of the Israeli Defence Forces in the area, the so-called area of separation, where according to the 1973 Disengagement of Forces agreement, only UNDOF can be present with a military presence.”
He said, “of course, the presence of the IDF in those areas is a violation, it's quite clear.
Finally, he welcomed efforts “for de-escalation and the advancement of dialog in the DRC and in the wider Great Lakes region,” and said the UN “and particularly when it comes to MONUSCO, we are fully committed to supporting these efforts” and the implementation of a peace agreement.
In Washington DC today, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)and Rwanda signed a US-brokered peace deal which could bring peace to the eastern region of the DRC.
