Former Lebanese Ambassador to the United Nations, Amal Modelly, commented on the Foreign Ministry's statement regarding the decision to extend UNIFIL's mandate, stating: "Foreign Minister Abdullah Bou Habib is searching for a 'scapegoat' because he does not want to bear responsibility for his failure to change the UNIFIL decision, especially since he and his ministry did not take any action in Beirut last year or engage in the high-level communications that should have occurred with the permanent members of the Security Council, as I suggested to him at that time."
She emphasized that she "did not wish to engage in this dispute with Bou Habib and the ministry, but the insistence on placing the blame on her for their mistakes led her to feel compelled to explain this matter." Modelly clarified that "the ministry, contrary to what it claims in its statement, did not send us the instructions we requested on August 9, 2022, until August 28, when the ministry sent the instructions in one message, both dated August 22 and August 28, which arrived at the mission on the 29th due to time differences."
Modelly pointed out that "the ministry sent us the codes to my personal email in one message as well, which I received on August 30. I have the email stating the date of receipt, which I will provide to the media for verification."
She added: "It seems the Foreign Ministry has not yet realized that in this technological age, it is impossible to falsify facts, as all communications and messages are electronically documented." Modelly called on the Foreign Ministry to "provide the media with a copy of the email sent last year on August 22 to the mission in New York, with a clear and documented date of sending to clarify the truth, noting that the sending date is recorded in the ministry’s codes department and in the emails for incoming telegrams to the mission in New York."
She said: "I have a message from an official at the mission on WhatsApp informing me on the morning of August 29 of the arrival of the message from Beirut, which clearly shows the date as August 29, along with my comments on it, which we will provide to the media."
Modelly continued: "I must draw Bou Habib's attention to the fact that he attended New York with a large Lebanese delegation from the ministry, the Prime Minister’s office, and military personnel, and stayed in New York for days negotiating with the ambassadors of the Security Council and failed to convince them, not only to change the language he objects to but also failed to maintain the clause requesting UNIFIL to provide assistance to the Lebanese army, which I managed to preserve last year."
She added, "If the Foreign Minister and the high-ranking delegation accompanying him could not change the Security Council's position, why does he think that his ambassador in New York alone can overcome the Security Council?"
