Argentina to withdraw military officers from UN’s South Lebanon mission

In a controversial decision ratifying Argentina’s alignment with Israel, President Javier Milei’s government will withdraw the nation's military contingent of four servicemen from UNIFIL, the UN’s peacekeeping force in South Lebanon.

As anticipated by journalist Roberto García, Argentina will evacuate its military personnel from the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon on the decision of President Javier Milei, diplomatic sources have confirmed. 

The Defence Ministry has yet to publish the news officially.

The withdrawal became known amid the traumatic change of Foreign Ministry helm after Diana Mondino’s inopportune exit on October 30, a result of the Argentine vote to condemn the United States embargo against Cuba in the UN General Assembly. 

Mondino was replaced by the Ambassador to Washington Gerardo Werthein, who was sworn-in Monday.

The UN provisional force in Lebanon, or “blue helmets,” was created over four decades ago by the Security Council after the first Israeli invasion of South Lebanon in 1978. 

In mid-October the United Nations denounced repeated attacks by the Israel Defence forces against their peacekeeping troops, wounding over a dozen in South Lebanon in the framework of their war against Hezbollah, the militia operating in the region and held responsible by Argentine courts for terrorist attacks in 1992 and 1994. 

UNIFIL has described the Israeli incursions as “scandalous” and they were harshly condemned by the international community.

Italy, France, Malaysia, Indonesia, India, China and Spain are the countries with the greatest presence in the international force. Up until now, four Argentine military servicemen have represented the country in the turbulent region.

Argentina officially joined the force in mid-2022 following an agreement signed in Madrid during the Alberto Fernández Presidency. 

The Milei administration will have to communicate its decision to the socialist government of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, with whom it has poor relations. 

Late last month it emerged that Spain would be replacing its ambassador in Buenos Aires after withdrawing its envoy last May amid a war of words between the two governments.

Perfil has accessed a note sent by Argentina’s outgoing UN representative, Ricardo Lagorio, to UN Undersecretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix communicating the government’s decision to withdraw the four Argentine servicemen, three in the locality of Naqoura and one in Marjayoum.

Until now Argentina has participated in 17 peacekeeping missions around the world, paying the price with 16 dead. Today the nation’s troops are present in seven missions – Cyprus, West Sahara, the Central African Republic, India, Pakistan, Colombia and Lebanon. 

The latest contingent left for Cyprus last January during a ceremony headed by Defence Minister Luis Petri.

Nuclear vote

On November 1 Argentina rejected a draft resolution by the UN General Assembly approved by an overwhelming majority of members recommending a study of nuclear-free zones in the planet and the incorporation of new regions, mentioning among them the Middle East.

The Milei government also complied there with its declared alignment with Israeli foreign policy positions. 

The resolution received 172 votes in favour with only two negative votes – Israel and the Argentine representation while three countries abstained: Armenia, Fiji and the Central African Republic.

The other pillar of La Libertad Avanza’s foreign policy is the United States, to whose interests Milei has also promised to respond. 

The Joseph Biden government accompanied the resolution, which was voted for by practically every UN member, all Western countries included. It proposes a broad study of nuclear-weapon free zones, reaffirming the conviction that “the maintenance of the existing zones free of nuclear arms and the establishment of new ones, including in the Middle East [will boost[ the nuclear non-proliferation regime, contributing to the achievement of the objectives of nuclear disarmament.”

 The resolution also asks the secretary-general to summon a skilled group of up to 25 experts “to prepare a new study of the question of nuclear-weapon free zones, destined to evaluate the current situation of such zones both in existence and potential, as well as to examine the options and recommendations to strengthen the existing ones.”

Embroiled in a low-intensity war with an Iran driving its own nuclear programme, Israel tends to oppose any move seeking to establish a nuclear-weapon free zone in the Middle East and is also the only country of that region which does not adhere to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

The decision taken in New York contradicts a recent position of Argentina in the same forum and under the same government. 

In a contribution to the 2023 resolution 78/17 last March, Argentina’s representation maintained that it “sustains permanently a position of clear support for the establishment and consolidation of Nuclear-Weapon Free Zones (ZLAN in its Spanish acronym).”

On the Middle East question, it affirmed: “Argentina has upheld the importance of establishing a zone free of nuclear arms and other weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East, understanding that this would mean a transcendental step for the peace process in the region. It is hoped that a consensus can freely be reached among the participating states.”