Spain is open to the hypothesis, also supported by Italy and France, of starting a new European mission in Lebanon, in view of the expiration of the mandate of the UN Unifil mission at the end of the year. Madrid also proposes a second solution, which however currently appears unlikely to be feasible, as it is not supported by the USA and Israel: the renewal of the United Nations mission.
The match between Crosetto and the Spanish Robles Fernández
On the sidelines of the Foreign Affairs Council meeting in the "Defense" format, which took place on Monday 28 September in Brussels, Defense Minister Guido Crosetto met with his Spanish counterpart Margarita Robles Fernández. «Focus Lebanon, in view of the deadline of the UNIFIL mission. Italy and Spain share the need to work together on a solution that allows us to preserve international commitment in Lebanon, evaluating the renewal of the mission or the launch of a new initiative under European aegis" wrote Crosetto on X, at the end of the meeting. «At the center of the discussion - we further read - is also the strengthening of European Defence, maritime security and the contribution to the EUNAVFOR ATALANTA and ASPIDES naval missions, which see Italy and Spain engaged in the front row to protect security and freedom of navigation».
The hypothesis of an EU mission when Unifil expires
In the context of the discussions on the future of Lebanon and the transition following the end of Unifil, the hypothesis of a new EU mission (mainly oriented towards the support, training and strengthening of the Lebanese armed forces) is therefore emerging. Italy and France are the main promoters of this scenario.
The Antibes summit between Meloni and Macron: a coalition to support Lebanon after Unifil
On the occasion of the Italy-France intergovernmental summit which took place in Antibes on 25 June, having acknowledged that Unifil had reached its natural expiry in a context of very strong tension and risks in the field, the Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and the French President Emmanuel Macron decided to promote and launch a new international coalition. On the crisis in Lebanon, «Italy and France can make a difference - Meloni underlined on that occasion -: the Unifil mission will end at the end of the year» and we have decided to «launch a coalition to support post-Unifil Lebanon, imagining an international conference soon», continued the prime minister. In view of the end of Unifil's mandate, "we must give ourselves new perspectives and begin to collaborate with the Lebanese authorities to build a solution that supports the Lebanese security forces and on the basis of this program try to create the widest possible collaboration, a multinational force that acts alongside the Lebanese armed forces" added Macron. «The mandate must be as clear as possible, the mission as effective as possible with the aim of guaranteeing Lebanese survival, the territorial integrity of Lebanon and implementing what President Aoun has declared since the first day of his office, the monopoly of weapons in the hands of the Lebanese armed forces» concluded the French president. «Our commitment is to remain in Lebanon even after the Unifil mission - Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani underlined in August -. We want to guarantee the return of the territory to the sovereignty of Beirut."
Kallas: progress on the EU mission for Lebanon but it will not replace Unifil
