UNGA day 4: Lebanon calls for peacekeepers to replace UNIFIL
Lebanon's prime minister has told the UN that the withdrawal of peacekeeping troops risks creating a vacuum. Leaders from Pakistan and Iraq are also speaking on day four of a conference dominated by the Middle East.
On the fourth day of the 81st United Nations General Assembly, Lebanon's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam urged the UN to maintain its UNIFIL peacekeeping force in Lebanon after the mandate expires, in order to prevent a power vacuum that could arise without a new international force to replace it. The UNIFIL peacekeeping troops, numbering 7,500 from 46 countries, have been in Lebanon since 1978.
Meanwhile, Israel maintains troops in its self-declared security zone extending 10 kilometers into southern Lebanon. The UNIFIL's expected departure comes as Israel holds onto its military presence in Lebanon.
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