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Albares Says EU Cannot Abandon Lebanon After UN Mission Leaves
🇵🇾 Paraguay /Conflict & Security

Albares Says EU Cannot Abandon Lebanon After UN Mission Leaves

From ABC Color · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Newswire Named sources New plan
  • Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares said the EU must not abandon Lebanon when the UN mission FINUL ends at the close of the year.
  • He called for a stronger Lebanese government and state capable of disarming Hezbollah, supported by a European mission.
  • EU officials are refining plans for a civilian mission to train and assist Lebanon's armed forces, including on border and maritime security.

Spain's foreign minister says Lebanon cannot be left on its own when the UN peacekeeping mission FINUL ends later this year. José Manuel Albares called for a European mission to prevent a vacuum as violence continues and Israel's war in the region persists.

"We cannot leave Lebanon abandoned, much more so with this violence that it is suffering at the moment and this endless war that Israel is waging; nor can we leave Lebanon in the hands of Hezbollah," Albares told EFE as he arrived at an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers in Ireland.

We cannot leave Lebanon abandoned, much more so with this violence that it is suffering at the moment and this endless war that Israel is waging; nor can we leave Lebanon in the hands of Hezbollah.

— José Manuel AlbaresSpain's foreign minister argued for continued European involvement after the UN mission ends.

He said Lebanon needed a strong government and state capable of disarming Hezbollah, and that such an effort required a mission. Albares said he had spent months urging the EU to become involved. Spain, he added, would continue supporting the Lebanese people and peace in the Middle East, as it had done through its participation in FINUL over the years.

Create a strong government and state in Lebanon that can disarm Hezbollah.

— José Manuel AlbaresAlbares described the political and security objective he believes a European mission should support.

EU officials are still deciding the details of the planned operation. Defense ministers discussed a new civilian mission under the bloc's Common Security and Defence Policy at a meeting near Dublin. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said she hoped it could begin in October.

The proposed mission would strengthen Lebanon's armed forces and state capacity, while advising and training personnel on issues including border and maritime security. Kallas stressed that it would not replace FINUL, but would invest in Lebanon's ability to provide its own security. Ireland, Spain and Austria have submitted a written proposal combining protection for the armed forces and support for the government with civilian and training elements.

The EU does not intend to replace FINUL. It is investing in Lebanon's capacity to guarantee its own security.

— Kaja KallasThe EU foreign policy chief explained the proposed mission's role.
About this summary

Originally published by ABC Color in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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