Turkey welcomes the withdrawal of Israeli forces from South Lebanon that it has been occupying. As the next stage after the withdrawal, it is important that the UN verify the restoration of the international border between Israel and Lebanon.

The Turkish Government sincerely hopes that the withdrawal would end incidents that have caused loss of life and material.

Turkey views the withdrawal as a significant accomplishment and wishes that all parties involved, in cooperation with the UN, would contribute to the efforts towards a lasting peace in the Middle East.