LEBANON: French frigate patrols off the coast of Lebanon

The French Frigate 'Courbet' arrived off the coast of Lebanon on September 17 to patrol the Lebanese coast as part of a U.N. force in the south. On Thursday (September 21), Courbet joined three Italian ships in patrolling Lebanon's waters under a central command aboard the Italian vessel 'Garibaldi'. Germany's lower house of parliament approved on Wednesday (September 20) a government plan to send up to 2,400 troops to Lebanon, and a first contingent of 1,000 men left Wilhelmshaven military base port on Thursday. Once it becomes operational in the region, Germany will take commandment of the naval forces of UNIFIL II - an expanded version of the original peacekeeper garrison in the area. The German vessels will join international ships already in the region, patrolling Lebanon's coast to prevent weapons from reaching Hizbollah guerrillas. Used to missions in the Indian Ocean where it saved a Turkish cargo ship from pirates in January this year, 'Courbet' is equipped with eight Exocet missiles, one anti-aircraft defence system, one long range cannon and two 20 MM cannons type F2. A 'Panther' helicopter is also attached to the ship, operating reconnaissance missions over the sea with an autonomy of four hours. Courbet captain, Jean-Michel Barcelo, a French man born in Algeria, joined the French Navy spoke about the frigate's mission. "When we drew up first plans for this ship, we wanted a ship adapted for missions the Indian Ocean, adapted to time of crisis, able to take hits, and do assaults... with a reduced crew and a lot of automation enabling the ship to be extremely tough, able to stay at sea for long periods of time, a complex boat that is not over complicated, easy to maintain, so it can stay far from its port of attachment for a very long time. It's a tool that is nearly ideal for this type of mission. In addition, the ship is used to carry on this kind of mission as it does it very year in the Indian Ocean," Barcelo said. The Courbet can spend up to fifty days at sea, and had patrolled the coast off Somalia and Djibouti in the Indian Ocean. Barcelo indicated the arms on board the ship have only been used in practice sessions, and are mainly used to warn. "If we had a suspicious boat that would refuse to stop, we could eventually ask to get authorised to fire warning shots... (interrupted by announcement through loudspeaker). Thankfully, we are not there yet," Barcelo said. The Central Operations room is the nerve centre of the boat where all information is received and transmitted. Sitting in the dark room surrounded by radars and navigational instruments, twenty-seven-year-old Lieutenant Amandine Leon sits at the heart of the operation, collecting data about any ships in Lebanon's territorial waters. Leon receives information from crew members in the gangway, who may have spotted such ships through radars, binoculars or naked eyes. She is also in touch with crew members on board the helicopter. A boat is considered suspicious if she has changed flags too often in the past, or if incoherent information is given about her ports of origin or destination. The UNIFIL vessels also share an established list of suspicious boats. Leon will check the information received, and then decide whether it should pass it on to the Italian commandment on board the 'Garibaldi' or to the Lebanese authorities. She is the only woman on board. Most of the French navy ships are not yet equipped to welcome female crew members. For example, there is no separate shower rooms. "Being the only woman on board the ship... you live it well, especially, when you go on that type of mission, you just have to adapt to the crew like anyone else," Leon said. Leon's boyfriend, Sebastien, is a lieutenant aboard another French vessel patrolling in the region, Le Sirocco. A few nautical miles away, they haven't seen each other for two months. Leon says she joined the Navy because she didn't want a life of routine and a dream to see more of the world. "If I have a dream, a mission that I would like to do more than another one, I think it would be to go towards Asia which I do not know yet. Go through Suez (Canal), sail in the Indian Ocean and head for Asia...," Leon added. In the kitchen, a treat is being prepared for the crew -- chocolate truffles. A crew member says taste becomes increasingly important when staying for long period aboard the ship where everything becomes routine and repetitive. Outside, it is time for the helicopter to go on a reconnaissance flight. During the one hour flight, the crew spots a Panama-registered boat, coming from Mercin in Turkey and heading for Beirut. The French crew identify themselves, declares U.N. resolution 1701, and asks the boat for details such as ownership, ports of embarkation and destination. A Russian boat coming from Egypt and heading to Turkey was later questioned. The information collected by helicopter crews was then passed on to the Central Operations. Both boats are then left to continue their sail. With 'Le Sirocco' and Frigate 'Cassard', the 'Courbet' is one of three French boats available for patrols in the region. All boats are taking turn to operate at sea. Soon, they shall be joined by the German vessels. Denmark, Sweden and Norway have also offered to deploy naval forces, while Great Britain offered a naval frigate. On Tuesday (September 19), the UN announced that the number of U.N. peacekeepers in Lebanon has grown to about 5,000, reaching a level which the United Nations sees as sufficient for Israel to complete its withdrawal from Lebanon. UNIFIL spokesman Alexander Ivanko said the force numbered 4,950. Ivanko said some French troops were still heading south from Beirut, but Italian and Spanish forces have already joined some 2,000 UNIFIL troops in position since before the 34-day war that ended last month. The reinforcements will help maintain the Aug. 14 truce which halted the war between Israel and Hizbollah guerrillas. Israel's military chief of staff was quoted as saying his army will complete a pullout from Lebanon within a few days. Israel says it has already left more than 80 percent of land it seized, leaving it to U.N. peacekeepers and the Lebanese army. Israel went to war after Hizbollah captured two Israeli soldiers and killed eight in a July 12 cross-border raid. Nearly 1,200 people in Lebanon, mostly civilians, and 157 Israelis, mostly soldiers, were killed in the conflict. U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan has said Israel should be able to complete its withdrawal once 5,000 peacekeepers were on the ground to support more than 10,000 Lebanese troops a U.N. source said have already deployed in the south.

ITN Source | September 23, 2006

Tags:. .mm. .denmark. .peacekeepers. .reinforcements. .somalia