Irish troops serving with UNIFIL in southern Lebanon could move from a UN to an EU command structure under proposals aired by Spain’s foreign minister this week, amid uncertainty over the future of the long-running peacekeeping mission after its mandate expires in December.
Spain’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, raised the proposal at a meeting of EU ministers in Luxembourg with the Irish government represented by Minister Thomas Byrne, calling for a “strong and robust” EU role in Lebanon once the current UNIFIL mandate comes to an end.