Turkey is interested in participating in a security initiative for Lebanon when the UN peacekeeping mission in the country's south expires at the end of the year, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said after meeting his Lebanese counterpart Joseph Aoun in Ankara.
Mr Aoun travelled to Turkey on Thursday on the first visit by a Lebanese head of state in 17 years. He was seeking Ankara's support in securing Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon and restoring stability to the area.
“After the withdrawal of the current international force, Turkey wants to take part in all initiatives that will be launched to support security in the region and ensure Lebanon’s sovereignty,” Mr Erdogan said in a joint press statement with Mr Aoun.
“The end of the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, Unifil, deployed in southern Lebanon, will constitute an important development,” he added.
Last year, the UN Security Council voted unanimously to terminate the peacekeeping mission, under pressure from the US and Israel. The mandate runs until December 31 this year.
The UN Security Council has yet to begin substantive discussions on what, if anything, should replace the peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon, The National reported this month. Diplomats are waiting to see whether US-brokered talks between Israel and Lebanon, and the framework agreement they signed last month, could render a UN presence unnecessary.
The interim agreement, signed in Washington on June 26, has been criticised for failing to set a clear timetable for Israel to end its occupation of southern Lebanon. Instead, it states that Israeli troops will “progressively redeploy out of Lebanese territory.”
Lebanese officials are looking to regional and international powers to pressure Israel to withdraw its troops from the south, where they continue to demolish towns and villages.
Turkey has been a staunch critic of Israel's offensive in Lebanon, which has killed at least 4,300 people and displaced hundreds of thousands of families. Turkey's inclusion in a security force is likely to face opposition from Israel, which has already opposed Turkey’s participation in the Board of Peace’s International Stabilisation Force for Gaza.
“We continue our strong support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our friend and brother Lebanon, with which we share deep ties,” said Mr Erdogan. He said his country stood ready to provide “all possible support” for the reconstruction of southern Lebanon and for the country's cash-strapped army.
The Lebanese President had sought additional support for the country's armed forces, which have the challenging task of disarming Hezbollah and bringing all weapons under state control.
Mr Aoun said Lebanon’s priority was preventing a power vacuum in the south and ensuring that any new force would support the Lebanese army, safeguard stability and respect national sovereignty.
