The United Nations Security Council unanimously passed a resolution on Tuesday extending the mandate of the U.N. peacekeeping operations (UNIFIL) in Lebanon. The three-page resolution extended the forces' stay another six months, in accordance with a report given by U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan two weeks ago. The mandate would have otherwise expired today. Council members agreed on the resolution, but in final negotiations over the draft, China, Russia, and Qatar added a reference to Israel, stating that the council was "concerned also by the continuing Israeli violations of Lebanese air space." The council applauded the Lebanese government's steps "to strengthen the liaison between its armed forces and UNIFIL" and also noted the "firm intention" of the government to preserve security and to reinforce the presence of Lebanese government armed forces in the southern region. The council also expressed its concern, however, that the government "should do more to assert its authority in the south, to exert control and monopoly over the use of force and to maintain law and order on its entire territory and to prevent attacks from Lebanon across the Blue Line," according to the resolution. The Blue Line is the diplomatic line defining the Lebanese and Israeli border.
