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Ting Wu
Acting Political Counselor
New York, New York
January 17, 2024
AS DELIVERED
Thank you. I appreciate the briefings today from Under-Secretary-General Lacroix and Major General Gauchat.
UNIFIL, UNDOF, and UNTSO play an essential role in maintaining stability in the area. UNDOF continues to be a significant presence in the region and fulfills a crucial liaison role between the parties and with communities present. Likewise, UNTSO is vital for monitoring ceasefires, overseeing armistice agreements, and preventing isolated incidents from escalating into larger conflicts.
UNIFIL is pivotal in assisting the Lebanese government in advancing toward the complete execution of Resolution 1701. The United States praises the deployment of over 10,000 peacekeepers from more than 50 nations working with UNIFIL, along with over 1,200 peacekeepers serving with UNDOF.
Their operational environment has been fluid and at times unstable in recent months, and we express our gratitude to the peacekeepers for their adaptability, resilience, and dedication to remaining on-site and executing their assignments throughout this challenging period.
As we previously discussed this week, the United States remains devoted to aiding Israel and Lebanon in their efforts to execute the arrangement reached on November 27, facilitating the safe return of civilians to their residences on both sides of the Blue Line.
We reiterate our appeal to all parties to honor the safety and security of UNIFIL personnel and facilities and to avoid incidents that could expose them to danger or harm. This is crucial to UNIFIL’s capacity to conduct patrols and provide this Council with data regarding actions inconsistent with UNSC Resolution 1701.
The United States has consistently reaffirmed its support for Israel’s right to exercise self-defense in accordance with international law. It is essential that all groups recognize the necessity of establishing stability in Syria. In this context, we acknowledge statements made by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham regarding Syria not posing a threat to any neighboring nations, and we look forward to seeing additional actions in that direction.
We express concern over reports indicating that a civilian was killed during an incident on the Bravo side of the area of limitation on January 15. In light of this, we urge all parties in the area of limitation to fully utilize UNDOF’s essential liaison function to mitigate miscommunication, and we hope to witness a decrease in clashes and a return to tranquility in the buffer zone.
In the end, we seek to witness enduring stability between Israel and Syria and support all parties in upholding the 1974 Disengagement Agreement, particularly concerning the terms of the buffer zone and mechanisms for its enforcement. We reaffirm our endorsement of the Disengagement of Forces Agreement.
Israel has made it clear that it intends to uphold the terms of the agreement as soon as conditions permit, and that its actions are temporary and limited to safeguarding its borders. To this aim, we hope to observe a reduction in clashes and a restoration of calm in the buffer zone.
We also wish to reiterate emphatically that UN peacekeeping personnel and positions must never be a target of aggression; we denounce any intentional assault against UN personnel and positions. The safety and security of peacekeeping personnel are of paramount importance.
I appreciate your attention.
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