BELGIUM: European nations agree to offer more than half the troops for an expanded United Nations peacekeeping contingent in Lebanon.

European nations agreed on Friday (August 25) to offer more than half the troops for an expanded United Nations peacekeeping contingent in Lebanon. U.N. chief Kofi Annan hailed the move as creating the backbone of a credible force, which could total up to 15,000 troops, even though EU officials warned it could be months before its full deployment. Annan called for the first troops to arrive in days to begin policing a fragile truce between Israel and Hizbollah and Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi said the Italian contingent could leave as soon as Tuesday. "We are approaching this in three phases. The first phase we would want to get in about 3-4 thousand men very quickly in the next few days or a week. And then we will have a second and a third phase to complete our deployment," he said. Clarifying doubts over the leadership of the mission, Annan said he had asked France, who will contribute 2,000 troops, to continue to lead UNIFIL until February 2007. The leadership would then pass to Italy, which has pledged up to 3,000 soldiers French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said that Europe's contribution for a Lebanon U.N. peace force would be between 6,500 and 7,000 troops. French President Jaques Chirac earlier on Friday had said that the suggested number of 15000 troops was excessive and in response to questions Douste-Blazy said. "The maximum number, the ceiling, of 15,000 was put forward. Now it is the situation on the ground which will allow us to determine how many men we truly need on the ground. I think with this type of engagement, we have already reached around 6,500, 7,000, soldiers on the ground which means the backbone of a reinforced UNIFIL will be European. After that, whether or not we need to reach that ceiling number we will find out on the ground, however I don't think it will be needed," he said. Speaking for the European presidency in Brussels Finnish Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja said some countries would also provide naval and air support. "The substantial numbers at this stage add up to something between 5600-6900 of new troops in addition to those already in the field in UNIFIL and plus naval/sea support and other logistical support and air support," Erkki Tuomioja, Finnish Foreign Minister said. European countries feared getting caught in the crossfire of any fresh hostilities between Israel and Hizbollah guerrillas and wanted assurances they would operate under robust enough rules to be able to defend themselves, diplomats said. Aside from Italy and France, diplomats at the Brussels meeting said Spain was ready to send up to 1,200 troops. Poland said it was prepared to contribute about 500 troops, Belgium offered up to 400 and current EU president Finland said it was readying a company of up to 250. EU Foreign Policy Chief, Solana stressed the importance of including other elements such as reconstruction as well as troop deployment. "It is very very important that in order to do this properly and do the other elements of the reconstruction, humanitarian, that the commission is doing, that the block of Lebanon is removed." Israel wants the beefed-up U.N. force to move to the border before it withdraws fully from Lebanon. It also has vowed to keep its partial sea and air blockade on Lebanon until the force deploys on the Syrian border to prevent Hizbollah from rearming. Syria has threatened to close the border -- Lebanon's only land outlet -- if U.N. troops are sent there.

ITN Source | August 26, 2006

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