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FIRST LARGE FOREIGN UNIT ARRIVES FOR LEBANON-ISRAEL BUFFER ZONE
By John Kifner
The New York Times
Sept 4 2006
BEIRUT, Lebanon, Sept. 3 - Hundreds of Italian marines, and their
armored vehicles, landed in southern Lebanon on Sunday, the first
large foreign contingent of what is to become a reinforced United
Nations buffer force on the border with Israel.
A spokesman for the United Nations peacekeeping force said that
about 1,000 Italian troops were expected to be ashore by nightfall,
including the small vanguard that arrived Saturday in choppy seas on
rubber dinghies and helicopters.
The arrival of the Italians increases the number of troops on the
ground to roughly 3,250 out of a projected goal of 15,000. A 250-member
French contingent arrived late last week, mainly engineering troops who
set to work repairing bombed-out bridges and roads. And 2,000 troops
were already in place from the previous peacekeeping contingent,
known as the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon.
The United Nations had hoped to have at least 3,500 troops by
Saturday. The full international force is supposed to complement a
similar size deployment of the Lebanese Army in securing an uneasy
cease-fire after a monthlong war between Israel and Hezbollah
guerrillas.
But under a kind of "don't flaunt, don't search" arrangement between
Hezbollah and the Lebanese government, the army apparently does not
intend to try to disarm Hezbollah.
Neither do the United Nations forces, officials have said, although
they will have a tougher mandate - enabling them to use force if
threatened - than did the generally ineffective force in place since
an Israeli incursion in 1978.
In Israel on Sunday, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said that he had
tried to contact Prime Minister Fouad Siniora of Lebanon to raise
the possibility of peace talks.
"How natural it would be if the Lebanese prime minister replied
to the many requests I conveyed to him, through different people,
to sit down together, shake hands, make peace and end once and for
all the hostility, fanaticism and hatred that part of his country
feels toward us," Mr. Olmert said at a school in Maalot-Tarshiha, in
northern Israel. The town was a frequent target of Hezbollah rockets
during the fighting in July and August.
"I hope this day comes soon," he said, adding, "I'm sure all of Israel
yearns for it."
At a news conference last week in Beirut, Mr. Siniora said that
Lebanon would be the "last Arab country that could sign a peace
agreement with Israel."
On Sunday, Italian soldiers wearing blue berets on armored personnel
carriers newly painted with white U.N. initials drove through wrecked
Lebanese villages decked with yellow Hezbollah flags, drawing waves
and V-for-victory signs.
Italy intends to deploy 2,450 ground troops in four phases over two
months - the largest contingent - and assume command of the force
early next year.
The current commander of the peacekeeping force, Maj. Gen. Alain
Pellegrini of France, told reporters in Tyre that the new version
of the United Nations force "is strengthened with stronger rules
of engagement."
"We have more people, more equipment, and we will have more possibility
to use force to implement our mission," he said.
But the effort to fill the complete 15,000-troop deployment is still
troubled by the reluctance of many countries to join what could be
a dangerous mission - particularly if their troops become combatants.
Indonesia, a predominantly Muslim country, announced that it would
send 1,000 troops after Israel eased off its objections to Indonesia's
participation. Turkey is weighing participation, although Lebanon's
tiny Armenian minority has objected because of the Turkish genocide
of Armenians in 1915.
Israel has announced that its troops, still on the fringes of Lebanese
territory, have found and blown up several Hezbollah arms caches. The
United Nations has said that the Israeli forces should fully withdraw
over the border as soon as the number of soldiers in the international
force reaches 5,000.
"The cease-fire is holding for the moment," General Pellegrini said.
"But it's fragile. Any incident can escalate."
Greg Myre contributed reporting from Jerusalem for this article.
By John Kifner
The New York Times
Sept 4 2006
BEIRUT, Lebanon, Sept. 3 - Hundreds of Italian marines, and their
armored vehicles, landed in southern Lebanon on Sunday, the first
large foreign contingent of what is to become a reinforced United
Nations buffer force on the border with Israel.
A spokesman for the United Nations peacekeeping force said that
about 1,000 Italian troops were expected to be ashore by nightfall,
including the small vanguard that arrived Saturday in choppy seas on
rubber dinghies and helicopters.
The arrival of the Italians increases the number of troops on the
ground to roughly 3,250 out of a projected goal of 15,000. A 250-member
French contingent arrived late last week, mainly engineering troops who
set to work repairing bombed-out bridges and roads. And 2,000 troops
were already in place from the previous peacekeeping contingent,
known as the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon.
The United Nations had hoped to have at least 3,500 troops by
Saturday. The full international force is supposed to complement a
similar size deployment of the Lebanese Army in securing an uneasy
cease-fire after a monthlong war between Israel and Hezbollah
guerrillas.
But under a kind of "don't flaunt, don't search" arrangement between
Hezbollah and the Lebanese government, the army apparently does not
intend to try to disarm Hezbollah.
Neither do the United Nations forces, officials have said, although
they will have a tougher mandate - enabling them to use force if
threatened - than did the generally ineffective force in place since
an Israeli incursion in 1978.
In Israel on Sunday, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said that he had
tried to contact Prime Minister Fouad Siniora of Lebanon to raise
the possibility of peace talks.
"How natural it would be if the Lebanese prime minister replied
to the many requests I conveyed to him, through different people,
to sit down together, shake hands, make peace and end once and for
all the hostility, fanaticism and hatred that part of his country
feels toward us," Mr. Olmert said at a school in Maalot-Tarshiha, in
northern Israel. The town was a frequent target of Hezbollah rockets
during the fighting in July and August.
"I hope this day comes soon," he said, adding, "I'm sure all of Israel
yearns for it."
At a news conference last week in Beirut, Mr. Siniora said that
Lebanon would be the "last Arab country that could sign a peace
agreement with Israel."
On Sunday, Italian soldiers wearing blue berets on armored personnel
carriers newly painted with white U.N. initials drove through wrecked
Lebanese villages decked with yellow Hezbollah flags, drawing waves
and V-for-victory signs.
Italy intends to deploy 2,450 ground troops in four phases over two
months - the largest contingent - and assume command of the force
early next year.
The current commander of the peacekeeping force, Maj. Gen. Alain
Pellegrini of France, told reporters in Tyre that the new version
of the United Nations force "is strengthened with stronger rules
of engagement."
"We have more people, more equipment, and we will have more possibility
to use force to implement our mission," he said.
But the effort to fill the complete 15,000-troop deployment is still
troubled by the reluctance of many countries to join what could be
a dangerous mission - particularly if their troops become combatants.
Indonesia, a predominantly Muslim country, announced that it would
send 1,000 troops after Israel eased off its objections to Indonesia's
participation. Turkey is weighing participation, although Lebanon's
tiny Armenian minority has objected because of the Turkish genocide
of Armenians in 1915.
Israel has announced that its troops, still on the fringes of Lebanese
territory, have found and blown up several Hezbollah arms caches. The
United Nations has said that the Israeli forces should fully withdraw
over the border as soon as the number of soldiers in the international
force reaches 5,000.
"The cease-fire is holding for the moment," General Pellegrini said.
"But it's fragile. Any incident can escalate."
Greg Myre contributed reporting from Jerusalem for this article.