.Israel Warns It Will Enforce Arms Ban
JERUSALEM (AP) - Israel warned that Saturday's raid against Hezbollah in Lebanon, its first since a cease-fire went into effect six days ago, may not be its last.
With Europe moving slowly to provide troops, the Israeli government said it would act on its own to enforce an arms embargo on the Islamic militant group until the international monitoring force is in place.
Israeli commandos struck near the Hezbollah stronghold of Baalbek, deep inside Lebanon and far from the Israeli border on Saturday, in a mission the army said was aimed at halting arms shipments from Iran and Syria.
Lebanon's Prime Minister Fuad Saniora accused Israel of violating the cease-fire and said he would take up the issue with the United Nations. But Israeli officials rejected the criticism, saying the operation was in line with the truce's ban on the sales and supplies of arms to Hezbollah.
U.N. envoy Terje Roed-Larsen, who was visiting the region, said if the report about the Israeli commando raid was true, the incident would be "a clear violation" of the cease-fire agreement.
"And it is also unhelpful in a very complex and very fragile situation," he said in an interview with the Lebanese Broadcasting Corp.
But Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev said such incursions may continue until the Lebanese army and an expanded U.N. peacekeeping force laid out in the truce is in control of the Syrian border to enforce the arms ban.
"In the interim, of course, we can't have a situation where endless amounts of weaponry arrive for Hezbollah, so we are forced to act in response to this violation," he said. "Had there been that presence there already, the Israeli operation would have been superfluous."
In a boost for Israel, the U.S. declined to criticize the Israeli campaign, noting the U.N. resolution's arms ban on Hezbollah.
"The incident underscores the importance of quickly deploying the enhanced UNIFIL," White House spokeswoman Jeanie Mamo said, referring to the U.N. monitoring force.
The U.N. cease-fire resolution that paved the way for the cease-fire to take effect on Monday authorized up to 15,000 U.N. peacekeepers to help an equal number of Lebanese troops extend their authority to south Lebanon, which has been controlled by Hezbollah. The United Nations wants 3,500 troops on the ground by Aug. 28, and the entire force in place in three months.
But European nations, expected to lead the multinational force, have been hesitant about committing troops, apparently because of questions about whether the force will be called on to disarm Hezbollah fighters. The Lebanese government already has said it does not plan on disarming the guerrilla group.
France, which commands UNIFIL's current 2,000-strong force, had been expected to make a significant new contribution that would form the backbone of the expanded force.
But French President Jacques Chirac disappointed the United Nations and others by announcing Thursday that France would add just 200 combat engineers to its current 200-member contingent in Lebanon. Nearly 50 French troops landed in Lebanon on Saturday, the first reinforcements.
Other European nations have offered even less. Only Italy and Finland have promised troops, but Italy has not committed to specific numbers and Finland's 250-member contingent will arrive only in November. Spain and Bulgaria are considering sending troops, while Austria, the Czech Republic and Switzerland have made no offer at all.
At a meeting this week of 49 potential contributing nations, the only countries to offer mechanized infantry battalions, which will be the front line of the expanded force, were three Muslim countries that do not have diplomatic relations with Israel - Bangladesh, Indonesia and Malaysia - and Nepal, which is predominantly Hindu.
Many countries said they wanted to study the operational plans for the force and the rules of engagement before making any decisions. They include several European countries, U.N. diplomats said.
U.N. Deputy Secretary-General Mark Malloch Brown stressed that more European nations would be needed to balance commitments from Muslim countries so that Israel and Lebanon will view the troops as legitimate.
Cristina Gallach, a spokeswoman for European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana, dismissed the idea that the failure of European nations to send troops could have triggered the Israeli raid.
"Nobody expected the deployment to be this week anyway," she said in a telephone interview. She noted that although the United Nations is working very hard to find units for UNIFIL, most candidate countries had to get parliamentary approval for their troops to be sent overseas.
"It's therefore logical that they want to know the details of the mandate, the rules of engagement, and how the military can apply these," Gallach said.
MyWay
I think it is becoming painfully obvious that the world has not learnt it's lessons. Israel must act to protect itself and can not count on Europe to help. The world will pay sooner or later, sooner or later.
With Europe moving slowly to provide troops, the Israeli government said it would act on its own to enforce an arms embargo on the Islamic militant group until the international monitoring force is in place.
Israeli commandos struck near the Hezbollah stronghold of Baalbek, deep inside Lebanon and far from the Israeli border on Saturday, in a mission the army said was aimed at halting arms shipments from Iran and Syria.
Lebanon's Prime Minister Fuad Saniora accused Israel of violating the cease-fire and said he would take up the issue with the United Nations. But Israeli officials rejected the criticism, saying the operation was in line with the truce's ban on the sales and supplies of arms to Hezbollah.
U.N. envoy Terje Roed-Larsen, who was visiting the region, said if the report about the Israeli commando raid was true, the incident would be "a clear violation" of the cease-fire agreement.
"And it is also unhelpful in a very complex and very fragile situation," he said in an interview with the Lebanese Broadcasting Corp.
But Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev said such incursions may continue until the Lebanese army and an expanded U.N. peacekeeping force laid out in the truce is in control of the Syrian border to enforce the arms ban.
"In the interim, of course, we can't have a situation where endless amounts of weaponry arrive for Hezbollah, so we are forced to act in response to this violation," he said. "Had there been that presence there already, the Israeli operation would have been superfluous."
In a boost for Israel, the U.S. declined to criticize the Israeli campaign, noting the U.N. resolution's arms ban on Hezbollah.
"The incident underscores the importance of quickly deploying the enhanced UNIFIL," White House spokeswoman Jeanie Mamo said, referring to the U.N. monitoring force.
The U.N. cease-fire resolution that paved the way for the cease-fire to take effect on Monday authorized up to 15,000 U.N. peacekeepers to help an equal number of Lebanese troops extend their authority to south Lebanon, which has been controlled by Hezbollah. The United Nations wants 3,500 troops on the ground by Aug. 28, and the entire force in place in three months.
But European nations, expected to lead the multinational force, have been hesitant about committing troops, apparently because of questions about whether the force will be called on to disarm Hezbollah fighters. The Lebanese government already has said it does not plan on disarming the guerrilla group.
France, which commands UNIFIL's current 2,000-strong force, had been expected to make a significant new contribution that would form the backbone of the expanded force.
But French President Jacques Chirac disappointed the United Nations and others by announcing Thursday that France would add just 200 combat engineers to its current 200-member contingent in Lebanon. Nearly 50 French troops landed in Lebanon on Saturday, the first reinforcements.
Other European nations have offered even less. Only Italy and Finland have promised troops, but Italy has not committed to specific numbers and Finland's 250-member contingent will arrive only in November. Spain and Bulgaria are considering sending troops, while Austria, the Czech Republic and Switzerland have made no offer at all.
At a meeting this week of 49 potential contributing nations, the only countries to offer mechanized infantry battalions, which will be the front line of the expanded force, were three Muslim countries that do not have diplomatic relations with Israel - Bangladesh, Indonesia and Malaysia - and Nepal, which is predominantly Hindu.
Many countries said they wanted to study the operational plans for the force and the rules of engagement before making any decisions. They include several European countries, U.N. diplomats said.
U.N. Deputy Secretary-General Mark Malloch Brown stressed that more European nations would be needed to balance commitments from Muslim countries so that Israel and Lebanon will view the troops as legitimate.
Cristina Gallach, a spokeswoman for European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana, dismissed the idea that the failure of European nations to send troops could have triggered the Israeli raid.
"Nobody expected the deployment to be this week anyway," she said in a telephone interview. She noted that although the United Nations is working very hard to find units for UNIFIL, most candidate countries had to get parliamentary approval for their troops to be sent overseas.
"It's therefore logical that they want to know the details of the mandate, the rules of engagement, and how the military can apply these," Gallach said.
MyWay
I think it is becoming painfully obvious that the world has not learnt it's lessons. Israel must act to protect itself and can not count on Europe to help. The world will pay sooner or later, sooner or later.
posted by madtom at 1:09 AM
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