Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to Lebanon, Anura Withanage, visited United Nations peacekeeping headquarters at Naqoura and the Sri Lankan contingent serving in southern Lebanon, according to a Foreign Ministry account reported this week.
The visit took place on 18 September. Colombo Gazette reported the ministry’s account on Tuesday, more than two weeks after the event.
At Naqoura, Withanage met Major General Diodato Abagnara, head of mission and force commander of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon. Their discussions covered UNIFIL’s role in southern Lebanon and Sri Lanka’s contribution to UN peacekeeping.
Abagnara expressed appreciation for the Sri Lankan personnel serving with the mission, including those assigned to protect its headquarters, the ministry said. Withanage reaffirmed Sri Lanka’s commitment to international peacekeeping.
Counsellor Sanath Balasooriya and service assistant R. M. T. Dilshan Rathnayake accompanied the ambassador.
The contingent at Green Hill
After the headquarters engagements, the delegation visited the Sri Lankan contingent at Green Hill, where Lieutenant Colonel Mahesh Pathiraja and members of the unit hosted a programme that included cultural activities and Sri Lankan food.
Withanage discussed the contingent’s responsibilities with the personnel, thanked them for their work and assured them of the embassy’s support during their deployment.
The ministry’s account describes special security arrangements for the visit, including an escort and coordination with UNIFIL operational and liaison personnel, and links those arrangements to conditions in southern Lebanon at the time.
Context
Sri Lanka has contributed personnel to UNIFIL, which has operated in southern Lebanon since 1978, with its headquarters at Naqoura on the Mediterranean coast near the Israeli border. The ministry’s account notes that Sri Lankan personnel are among those assigned to protect the mission headquarters itself.
Not reported
The account does not say how many Sri Lankan personnel are currently deployed with UNIFIL, what unit the Green Hill contingent belongs to, how long its tour runs, or when it rotates. It does not describe the conditions in southern Lebanon that prompted the security arrangements, nor explain the two-and-a-half week gap between the visit and the ministry’s account becoming public. No UNIFIL or United Nations statement on the meeting was located. No other verified newsroom appears to have carried the report.
