Nickdfresh
08-24-2006, 08:28 AM
EU Makes New Effort to Raise U.N. Troops
Thursday, August 24, 2006 1:30 AM EDT
The Associated Press (http://www.adelphia.net/news/read.php?ps=1012&id=13038510&_LT=HOME_LARSDCCLM_UNEWS)
By SLOBODAN LEKIC
BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) — Italy, which has offered to send the largest contingent, made a plea Wednesday for more European troops to an expanded U.N. peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon.
Premier Romano Prodi expressed frustration over the efforts to raise the force mandated by a U.N. resolution that ended 34 days of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah militants.
"It's unthinkable that we would be there alone, and we have been working to strengthen the quantitative and international aspect of the mission in Lebanon," Prodi told reporters at the Tuscan seaside resort of Castiglione della Pescaia, where he has been vacationing.
"The issue now is to have a sufficient number of troops to accomplish the peace mission efficiently," Prodi said.
The U.N. cease-fire resolution authorized the expansion of the U.N. peacekeeping force in Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, from 2,000 to as many as 15,000 troops. The peacekeepers are to help 15,000 Lebanese troops extend their authority into south Lebanon, which has been controlled by Hezbollah, as Israel withdraws its soldiers.
Italian diplomats also appealed for more troops contributions at a meeting of European Union ambassadors at EU headquarters in Brussels, said Temu Tanner, ambassador of Finland, which now holds the EU's rotating presidency.
The EU ambassadors met ahead of a crucial meeting of the group's foreign ministers Friday with U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan in Brussels, when firm decisions on assembling the force could be taken.
Tanner said there were no breakthroughs Wednesday, and none were expected before Friday.
Pressure on the Europeans has grown because Israel has rejected offers of participation from Malaysia, Bangladesh and Indonesia — Muslim countries that do not recognize the Jewish state.
In addition, India's defense minister said late Wednesday that his country was considering withdrawing its existing peacekeepers from the UNIFIL force already in the region. Pranab Mukherjee said, however, the 775 Indian soldiers would not leave before U.N. reinforcements arrive.
He gave no reason for the planned withdrawal, but the Press Trust of India news agency quoted unnamed diplomatic sources as saying that India wanted out because the new mandate of the peacekeepers allows greater use of force to maintain the peace between Israel and Hezbollah.
Most EU nations have remained wary of making firm commitments until the mandate for the new force is clarified, fearing that their peacekeepers could be dragged into a conflict with the Hezbollah militants or with Israel if the current cease-fire collapses.
Besides Italy's offer of up to 3,000 soldiers, other nations considering contributions include Spain, Finland, Denmark, Germany, Greece, and Belgium. Turkey, Morocco, Nepal, New Zealand and China also are considering participating in the U.N. mission.
"There is no time to sit on the fence. Europe must cough up with contingent contributions," Danish Foreign Minister Per Stig Moeller said in an interview with the Berlingske Tidene daily. "This is about Europe's credibility in the field of foreign and security policy."
France disappointed some by offering only 200 troops to double its contribution to the existing U.N. force in Lebanon.
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin said France could expand its role once details of an enhanced force are worked out. "We are today the most committed and most present country on the ground. We want to go further once the conditions are right," he said after meeting with Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni in Paris.
A U.N. diplomat said Tuesday that France is considering increasing its commitment, and a high-level meeting is planned Thursday with President Jacques Chirac, the foreign and defense ministers and key military officials to look at several options to add more troops. The diplomat spoke on condition of anonymity because no decision has been made.
The Europeans, who have bitter memories of their troops being killed or humiliated while serving under weak U.N. mandates in Rwanda and the Balkans, agree that the new UNIFIL will not forcibly disarm the militia, but will only oversee a political solution that would induce Hezbollah to turn in its weapons to the Lebanese army.
A European diplomat said that nobody wants to be saddled with the task that the Israeli military failed to achieve in a month of intense combat. The diplomat spoke on condition he not be identified because of the sensitivity of the issue.
Thursday, August 24, 2006 1:30 AM EDT
The Associated Press (http://www.adelphia.net/news/read.php?ps=1012&id=13038510&_LT=HOME_LARSDCCLM_UNEWS)
By SLOBODAN LEKIC
BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) — Italy, which has offered to send the largest contingent, made a plea Wednesday for more European troops to an expanded U.N. peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon.
Premier Romano Prodi expressed frustration over the efforts to raise the force mandated by a U.N. resolution that ended 34 days of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah militants.
"It's unthinkable that we would be there alone, and we have been working to strengthen the quantitative and international aspect of the mission in Lebanon," Prodi told reporters at the Tuscan seaside resort of Castiglione della Pescaia, where he has been vacationing.
"The issue now is to have a sufficient number of troops to accomplish the peace mission efficiently," Prodi said.
The U.N. cease-fire resolution authorized the expansion of the U.N. peacekeeping force in Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, from 2,000 to as many as 15,000 troops. The peacekeepers are to help 15,000 Lebanese troops extend their authority into south Lebanon, which has been controlled by Hezbollah, as Israel withdraws its soldiers.
Italian diplomats also appealed for more troops contributions at a meeting of European Union ambassadors at EU headquarters in Brussels, said Temu Tanner, ambassador of Finland, which now holds the EU's rotating presidency.
The EU ambassadors met ahead of a crucial meeting of the group's foreign ministers Friday with U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan in Brussels, when firm decisions on assembling the force could be taken.
Tanner said there were no breakthroughs Wednesday, and none were expected before Friday.
Pressure on the Europeans has grown because Israel has rejected offers of participation from Malaysia, Bangladesh and Indonesia — Muslim countries that do not recognize the Jewish state.
In addition, India's defense minister said late Wednesday that his country was considering withdrawing its existing peacekeepers from the UNIFIL force already in the region. Pranab Mukherjee said, however, the 775 Indian soldiers would not leave before U.N. reinforcements arrive.
He gave no reason for the planned withdrawal, but the Press Trust of India news agency quoted unnamed diplomatic sources as saying that India wanted out because the new mandate of the peacekeepers allows greater use of force to maintain the peace between Israel and Hezbollah.
Most EU nations have remained wary of making firm commitments until the mandate for the new force is clarified, fearing that their peacekeepers could be dragged into a conflict with the Hezbollah militants or with Israel if the current cease-fire collapses.
Besides Italy's offer of up to 3,000 soldiers, other nations considering contributions include Spain, Finland, Denmark, Germany, Greece, and Belgium. Turkey, Morocco, Nepal, New Zealand and China also are considering participating in the U.N. mission.
"There is no time to sit on the fence. Europe must cough up with contingent contributions," Danish Foreign Minister Per Stig Moeller said in an interview with the Berlingske Tidene daily. "This is about Europe's credibility in the field of foreign and security policy."
France disappointed some by offering only 200 troops to double its contribution to the existing U.N. force in Lebanon.
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin said France could expand its role once details of an enhanced force are worked out. "We are today the most committed and most present country on the ground. We want to go further once the conditions are right," he said after meeting with Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni in Paris.
A U.N. diplomat said Tuesday that France is considering increasing its commitment, and a high-level meeting is planned Thursday with President Jacques Chirac, the foreign and defense ministers and key military officials to look at several options to add more troops. The diplomat spoke on condition of anonymity because no decision has been made.
The Europeans, who have bitter memories of their troops being killed or humiliated while serving under weak U.N. mandates in Rwanda and the Balkans, agree that the new UNIFIL will not forcibly disarm the militia, but will only oversee a political solution that would induce Hezbollah to turn in its weapons to the Lebanese army.
A European diplomat said that nobody wants to be saddled with the task that the Israeli military failed to achieve in a month of intense combat. The diplomat spoke on condition he not be identified because of the sensitivity of the issue.