New York: Amid Israel's military offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon, India has made a stand by backing a joint statement by UNIFIL-contributing countries that "strongly condemned" the recent attacks on the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon and said such actions must stop immediately.
The joint statement, initially co-signed by 34 countries, came after at least five United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) peacekeepers were wounded in recent days as Israeli troops launched attacks in southern Lebanon as part of its campaign against Hezbollah.
"We consider UNIFIL's role as particularly crucial in light of the escalating situation in the region. We therefore strongly condemn recent attacks on the UNIFIL peacekeepers. Such actions must stop immediately and should be adequately investigated," said the joint statement posted on X by Poland's mission to the UN on Saturday.
While India was not initially named among the co-signatories of the joint statement, it later expressed its full support for the resolution. "As a major Troop Contributing Country, India aligns itself fully with the joint statement issued by the 34 @UNIFIL_ troop-contributing countries. Safety and security of peacekeepers are of paramount importance and must be ensured in accordance with extant UNSC Resolutions," it said.
Earlier in a statement in New Delhi on Friday, the Ministry of External Affairs said India was "concerned" at the "deteriorating" security situation in parts of West Asia. "Inviolability of UN premises must be respected by all, and appropriate measures taken to ensure the safety of UN peacekeepers and the sanctity of their mandate," the MEA said in its statement.
Initially, 34 nations, including Bangladesh, Brazil, China, France, Italy, Spain, Sri Lanka, and the UK co-signed the joint statement. On Sunday, the Polish mission to the UN announced that India, Colombia, Germany, Greece, Peru and Uruguay have extended support to the statement.
"Poland welcomes the growing support for the @UNIFIL_ peacekeeping mission. Currently, 40 countries have co-signed our joint statement. Thank you, Colombia, Germany, Greece, India, Peru and Uruguay. Also grateful for Switzerland endorsement," the Polish mission posted on X.
As of September 2, 2024, UNIFIL's force consists of a total of 10,058 peacekeepers from 50 troop-contributing countries. India contributes 903 troops to the UNIFIL. "As the countries contributors to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), we reaffirm our full support for UNIFIL's mission and activities, whose principal aim is to bring stabilisation and lasting peace in South Lebanon as well as in the Middle East, in line with relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council," said the joint statement posted on X by the Polish UN mission on Saturday.
It urged the parties of the conflict to respect UNIFIL's presence, which entails the obligation to guarantee the safety and security of its personnel at all times so that they can continue to implement its mandate and continue their work of mediation and support for peace and stability in Lebanon and the entire region. "We reiterate our commitment to multilateral cooperation with the UN at its core. We call for respect for international law, in particular the Charter of the United Nations as well as the relevant resolutions of the Security Council," it said.
(PTI)
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