The Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Paolo Gentiloni, met General Luciano Portolano at the Farnesina today, 10 November 2015. General Portolano is the military Force Commander and Chief of Mission of the United Nations Interim Force In Lebanon (UNIFIL II).
During their discussion, Minister Gentiloni asked for the General’s views of developments in the security situation in Lebanon and the outlook for UNIFIL II, not least in the light of the serious repercussions produced by regional developments, especially those in Syria.
Minister Gentiloni told General Portolano that his work was universally appreciated and that “our commitment in UNIFIL is concrete testimony of Italy’s support for the United Nations in a scenario, the Mediterranean, which for us is crucial”.
Italy has about 1,100 “blue helmets” in UNIFIL and has held the position of Force Commander and Chief of Mission since 2012. UNIFIL provides a significant contribution to the stability of Lebanon and the region as a whole and to security in Israel. The mission makes it possible to limit tensions along the Blue Line by providing a constant channel for communication between the various parties, thanks to the coordination between General Portolano and senior officials of the Lebanese and Israeli armed forces (the “tripartite mechanism”).
