Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will hold discussions with his UN counterparts on allegations that United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) officials were aware of Hezbollah activity in close proximity to UNIFIL bases in southern Lebanon.

The Government supports the essential role played by UNIFIL in southern Lebanon and recognises that the mission is working in difficult circumstances. In a call on 16 October with the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, the Foreign Secretary discussed concern at UNIFIL not being able to access all relevant locations north of the de-facto border between Lebanon and Isreal and called for all parties to ensure freedom of movement for UNIFIL personnel. We continue to speak with counterparts from the UN on a range of issues related to the on-going conflict. The Government will continue to underscore the importance of the UN in resolving armed conflict and mitigating the humanitarian impact.