UN Security Council poised to renew UN force in Lebanon's mandate. Question remains whether it will finally get serious about Hizbollah threat

"Today (30 August), the Security Council is scheduled to vote on a resolution renewing for another year the mandate of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), which expires on 31 August. The draft to be voted on was put in blue last night following several days of difficult negotiations and bilateral discussions, with a final revision this morning.However, at press time it was still unclear how some members might vote.

The negotiating process has been contentious. In recent weeks the US and Israel have ramped up criticism of UNIFIL's work and leadership and called for a strengthening of its mandate that would allow it to more proactively confront Hezbollah, which the US asserts is illegally stockpiling weapons in the mission's area of operations. The US has pushed to augment the mission's mandate against the wishes of other members, in particular those contributing troops to UNIFIL...

On 23 August, US Permanent Representative Nikki Haley issued a statement calling on members of the Council to join the US "in taking real action to make UNIFIL a stronger peacekeeping mission and to stand up against forces of terror in Lebanon and around the region." Ann Gueguen, the Deputy Permanent Representative of France, which holds the pen on Lebanon, told reporters that it "is of paramount importance for the stability of Lebanon and the region, and in the best interest of all, that UNIFIL keeps its mandate and is in a position to fulfil it, with the full backing and confidence of the Security Council." The Russian Permanent Representative Vassily Nebenzia also addressed the press that day, saying he believed the mandate should be renewed without changes.

Following the consultations, France circulated a draft resolution that contained language pertaining to US concerns. It appears that France and the US had been in discussions over the draft text for weeks; however, Council members only met as a whole to negotiate the draft for the first time on 24 August and then held a second round of negotiations on the morning of 28 August..."