Lebanon (July 1996) as well as UNTSO, UNIFIL in the south and Palestinian Refuge Camps in the north

I began my familiarization visit to the Middle East from the UN, with a visit to Lebanon in August 1996. We started in Beirut, then visited Israeli-occupied Southern Lebanon, beyond the Litani River, as well as UNIFIL and UNTSO HQs there, before heading north again to visit Palestinian Refugee Camps north of Beirut. Accompanied by my Middle East desk officer at our UN Permanent Mission, Tamara Mawhinney, we then headed eastward, across the Mountains, to the Bekaa Valley and on to Damascus in Syria.

Beirut (six years after the end of the 15 year Lebanese Civil War)