US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed on Monday that he discussed with French President Emmanuel Macron the situation in Lebanon, where the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force (UNIFIL) expires on December 31 in the south of the country, where Israel continues to occupy large areas, as well as the choice of the next Secretary-General of the United Nations.
Rubio said in statements to reporters shortly after his meeting with Macron on the sidelines of the G7 foreign ministers’ meeting in Paris, “The goal is to have a reliable party on the ground capable of verifying the parties’ commitment to (the terms of the framework agreement) in the experimental areas. This does not necessarily require a military mission like the one that UNIFIL was (performing...) but it could be civilian.”
Lebanon entered the war on March 2 after Hezbollah fired missiles at Israel, which it said were in response to the killing of Iranian guide Ali Khamenei in the first American and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28. Israel responded with an intense campaign of raids and a ground incursion by its forces, which occupied dozens of towns and villages in southern Lebanon, and widespread bombing operations.
The intensity of the fighting calmed down after a memorandum of understanding was reached between Iran and the United States in June, and then Lebanon and Israel signed a framework agreement stipulating the disarmament of Hezbollah, a gradual Israeli withdrawal from the lands it had penetrated into southern Lebanon, and the deployment of the Lebanese army, starting from two “experimental” areas.
Paris is seeking to establish a mechanism to guarantee an international presence after the end of the mandate of the United Nations force within the deadline set by the UN Security Council under American pressure. Paris, in cooperation with Rome, wants to form a multinational force to succeed UNIFIL.
Regarding the process of selecting the next Secretary-General of the United Nations, Rubio said, “We are following the process closely. Ultimately, what matters most to us is that the person chosen is committed to implementing reforms at the United Nations.” He added, "I believe that one of the things that can save the United Nations is to reform it." If not, you will face big problems. We want in the position of Secretary-General someone committed, even deeply committed, to the issue of reform.”
The US Secretary of State denied that the United States was pushing a specific candidate, considering that this would make him “doomed to lose,” stressing, “We see that there are two or three very qualified people.” We will let the voting process take its course in this context. "At some point, the world will decide who it wants."
On October 30, Rebecca Greenspan (70 years old), former Vice President of Costa Rica and former Director of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, once again topped the seventh exploratory vote conducted by the Security Council on the potential candidate for the position of Secretary-General, ahead of Argentine Rafael Grossi, the current director of the International Atomic Energy Agency, and Caroline Rodriguez Burkett, the former Foreign Minister of Guyana.
Novaya Gazeta, the most famous independent newspaper in Russia, closed its headquarters in Moscow on Monday, citing “continuous pressure” exerted on it by government officials, according to what the Associated Press reported.
The newspaper was the last major independent media outlet critical of the Kremlin, and it is still active inside Russia. As for other media outlets, they closed their doors or moved their activities abroad, after President Vladimir Putin sent his forces to Ukraine in February 2022.
In a statement published on October 30, the newspaper said that Russian authorities and security services “forced our editorial team to stop working.”
She added: “Human rights and freedoms have been eliminated in this country, and defending them is now treated as a crime. Elections and elected governing bodies have effectively been dismantled, civil society institutions eliminated, and freedom of conscience and human dignity trampled.”
It is noteworthy that the newspaper “Novaya Gazeta” was founded in 1993, and quickly became famous for its bold reporting and commitment to exposing human rights violations and corruption in Russia.
Six of its journalists, including Anna Politkovskaya, who covered atrocities committed during the Second Chechen War, were killed at the beginning of Putin's first presidential term. She was shot dead inside the apartment building where she lived in 2006.
The leaders of Cyprus, both its Greek and Turkish sides, agreed on Monday to open two new border crossings, coordinate emergency response, and exchange archival materials, as part of UN-backed efforts to resume peace talks after a stalemate that lasted nearly a decade.
The media in Cyprus said that the number of crossings open on the divided island located in the Mediterranean Sea has risen to 11 crossings.
Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman met with UN Special Envoy Maria Angela Holguin for approximately 4 hours in a buffer zone under UN control.
The two sides have disagreed on the basic rules of the talks since their meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on the island over the summer.
But the United Nations described Monday's meeting as "positive" and said that the two leaders would hold talks again in the coming weeks in the presence of Guterres.
Cyprus was divided after a Turkish invasion of the island in 1974 in response to a brief coup at the behest of the military rulers who ruled Greece at the time.
The power-sharing administration between Greek and Turkish Cypriots collapsed in 1963, and a UN force, now one of the world's oldest peacekeeping operations, monitors the 180-kilometre ceasefire line that separates the two sides.
Among the reasons for the failure of previous talks is the disagreement over the role Türkiye will play in the future. The Greek Cypriots oppose any direct intervention from Ankara, while the Turkish Cypriots see its role as necessary.
The UN statement added that the two leaders also discussed the possibility of opening other crossings.
Christodoulides told reporters after the meeting: “We are continuing this effort with the utmost seriousness and with one goal, which is to resume the talks before the end of the Secretary-General’s term,” that is, by the end of 2026.
