Lebanese President Michel Aoun reiterated Beirut’s demand to renew the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in the South without any change in its role and budget. The peacekeeping force’s mandate has been renewed every August since 2006. Aoun has insisted on rejecting any amendments to UNIFIL’s mission, hinting at attempts and proposals that emerged in last year’s negotiations before the renewal of its mandate. Those proposals called for strengthening the peacekeeping force’s role in tightening international control over “Hezbollah’s” movements in southern Lebanon. Beirut’s rejection of such suggestions was also supported by Europe and the UNIFIL mandate was renewed last year without any changes. Aoun praised the role played UNIFIL in maintaining peace in the South and implementing UN Security Council Resolution 1701. He made his remarks while meeting on Monday with UNIFIL Commander Major General Michael Beary, who was paying him a farewell visit at the end of his two-year mission in Lebanon. In appreciation for the commander’s efforts, Aoun decorated him with the Medal of the National Order of the Cedar. Beary thanked Aoun for the support he received during his leadership of UNIFIL and for the cooperation he found with Lebanese officials and the Army Command. He hoped that this cooperation would continue under his successor, Italian General Stefano Del Col. The renewal of the mandate of UNIFIL since 2006 has not been subject to any severe test that threatened the presence of the international force. The Security Council allows UNIFIL a maximum of 15,000 soldiers and observers in land and sea forces, coming from 40 different countries. International Law Researcher Dr. Shafiq al-Masri told Asharq Al-Awsat that the basis for UNIFIL’s mission was resolution 1701. The Security Council’s approval “has been maintained since 2006 without an amendment to the core of resolution 1701,” Masri said, noting that the renewal process “has become a routine procedure.” He also stressed that countries concerned with the mandate of UNIFIL, including European countries, “do not mind the mandate renewal.”