UN Security Council starts talks on fate of peacekeeping force in Lebanon

By Michelle Nichols

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) -The United Nations Security Council started negotiations on Monday on a French-drafted resolution to extend a long-running peacekeeping mission in Lebanon and signal an intention to work on an eventual withdrawal of the U.N. troops.

The U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), established in 1978, patrols Lebanon’s southern border with Israel. The mandate for the operation is renewed annually, and its current authorization expires on August 31.

The…