BEIRUT, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations (UN) Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jan Kubis said on Friday that the UN Security Council's discussions about extending the mandate of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in Lebanon are positive, the National News Agency reported.
"The messages, sent by Lebanon's President Michel Aoun on this issue and transmitted to members of the Security Council, had a positive impact on the course of the deliberations," Kubis said during his meeting with Aoun.
Kubis noted that France has begun its preparations for a preliminary draft for the decision of the Security Council, which will be discussed with the member states of the council, in coordination with Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Lebanon to the United Nations Amal Mudallali.
UNIFIL's mandate is expected to be extended by the UN Security Council (UNSC) by the end of August.
Lebanon was concerned about a possible change in the mandate of the UNIFIL in Lebanon as Israel wanted UN peacekeepers to have access to all sites in Lebanon, and that the UNSC must be immediately informed of any block of their freedom of movement.
However, Lebanon refused these changes while emphasizing the need to keep the mandate of the UNIFIL to restrict tension on the borders with Israel.
