Lebanon: EU preparing a training mission for the Lebanese army; Kallas: “There cannot be a security vacuum when UNIFIL leaves”

The European Union is preparing a new mission to train and advise the Lebanese armed forces, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas announced in Beirut on Thursday, October 8, at a joint press conference with Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji. Planning is complete and the EU has received a formal invitation from the Lebanese authorities.

Kallas said she expects EU foreign ministers to formally establish the mission on Monday, October 12. “It will advise and assist the Lebanese Armed Forces and Internal Security Forces to strengthen territorial control, border security, and also internal security,” she said, adding that it will operate in line with UN Security Council Resolution 1701. “It is not UNIFIL replacement, and it will not only focus on Southern Lebanon,” she stressed, according to the transcript published by the EU’s European External Action Service.

The future after UNIFIL

“There cannot be a security vacuum when UNIFIL leaves,” Kallas warned, noting that the future of the UN presence in southern Lebanon is under discussion. European countries that currently contribute troops to UNIFIL could take part in a future international force, she said, but it would need a UN mandate, because their governments need decisions from their parliaments to send troops. She added that “first it would be best if UNIFIL’s mandate will be extended”. She also linked Lebanon’s stability to Syria’s transition, welcoming closer cooperation between Beirut and Damascus.

Greece has already supported the Lebanese army in practical terms, with deliveries of M113 armoured vehicles to Beirut, as part of the closer relationship confirmed at the meeting between Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and President Joseph Aoun.