French President Jacques Chirac announced Thursday that France would send an additional 1,600 soldiers to the international armed force as European nations struggle to meet the minimum commitment of soldiers brokered by the United Nations Security Council to maintain a ceasefire.
UN Security Council Resolution 1701 calls for the deployment of 15,000 troops to help control southern Lebanon. The troops were supposed to be deployed nearly two weeks ago, alongside the withdrawal of Israeli forces.
“Two extra battalions will go on to the ground to extend our numbers within UNIFIL [United Nations International Force in Lebanon],” Chirac said. “Two thousand French soldiers are thus placed under blue helmets in Lebanon.”
Blue helmets are worn by the UN forces which have been present in southern Lebanon since 1978. During the past six years of UNIFIL's deployment, following Israel's military withdrawal from Lebanon in 2000, Hizbullah amassed a weapons collection of over 12,000 rockets.
Four hundred French troops have already arrived in the region.
“I am convinced today that French soldiers can be deployed effectively,” Chirac stated.
France was one of the major diplomatic players involved in drafting the ceasefire resolution, pushing for the international force to total 15,000. France’s pledge comes days after an Italian commitment of 3,000 soldiers, and an offer to lead the international force.
Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni has been meeting diplomats across Europe to speed up the deployment of troops to the region.
“The extremists who want to inflame the region are watching us, and this will test the strength and determination of the international community,” Livni said in a meeting with her Italian counterpart Massimo D’Alema, in Rome, on Thursday.
Representatives of the European Union would like the force to be deployed within a week, although troop commitments are still several thousand short.
“We would like to see the first reinforcements for UNIFIL arrive within a week if possible,” said Finnish Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja. Finland currently holds the rotating presidency of the European Union.
Countries have been hesitant to commit troops to the region, as the force’s mandate remains unclear. According to the Security Council resolution, international forces are meant to support the Lebanese army’s deployment in dealing with Hizbullah.
According to the French newspaper Le Monde, the international force would be permitted to use “deadly force” in its mandate to defend itself and provide protection for civilians. In addition, UNIFIL will be expected to help the Lebanese Army ensure that neighboring Syria does not bolster Hizbullah’s arm supply.
Lebanon has pledged 15,000 troops to the south. Yet, with 35 Hizbullah members currently serving in the Lebanese parliament, and statements by Lebanon’s Prime Minister Fuad Saniora praising Hizbullah for defending the nation, it is doubtful if Lebanese troops will attempt to disarm the terrorist organization.
In an interview with the Israeli Hebrew daily newspaper, Haaretz, Italian Foreign Minister D’Alema said that any international efforts to disarm Hizbullah must be initiated by Lebanon.
“This essentially depends on the Lebanese,” D’Alema said. “If the government of Lebanon wants to, it is certainly possible, and we must encourage the government of Lebanon. We cannot act against the will of the Lebanese government.
“If, with the assistance of a UN and European presence, a positive process begins in Lebanon - the country is stabilized and the fundamentalist threat is removed from Israel's borders - that will show people in Israel that the international community can be efficient, that Europe can be efficient,” D’Alema stated. “Such a process would prove to Israel that it can ensure its security better through the politics of peace than through war. The main problem is that in Israeli politics, peace and security are two different, often contradictory things."
UN Security Council Resolution 1701 calls for the deployment of 15,000 troops to help control southern Lebanon. The troops were supposed to be deployed nearly two weeks ago, alongside the withdrawal of Israeli forces.
“Two extra battalions will go on to the ground to extend our numbers within UNIFIL [United Nations International Force in Lebanon],” Chirac said. “Two thousand French soldiers are thus placed under blue helmets in Lebanon.”
Blue helmets are worn by the UN forces which have been present in southern Lebanon since 1978. During the past six years of UNIFIL's deployment, following Israel's military withdrawal from Lebanon in 2000, Hizbullah amassed a weapons collection of over 12,000 rockets.
Four hundred French troops have already arrived in the region.
“I am convinced today that French soldiers can be deployed effectively,” Chirac stated.
France was one of the major diplomatic players involved in drafting the ceasefire resolution, pushing for the international force to total 15,000. France’s pledge comes days after an Italian commitment of 3,000 soldiers, and an offer to lead the international force.
Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni has been meeting diplomats across Europe to speed up the deployment of troops to the region.
“The extremists who want to inflame the region are watching us, and this will test the strength and determination of the international community,” Livni said in a meeting with her Italian counterpart Massimo D’Alema, in Rome, on Thursday.
Representatives of the European Union would like the force to be deployed within a week, although troop commitments are still several thousand short.
“We would like to see the first reinforcements for UNIFIL arrive within a week if possible,” said Finnish Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja. Finland currently holds the rotating presidency of the European Union.
Countries have been hesitant to commit troops to the region, as the force’s mandate remains unclear. According to the Security Council resolution, international forces are meant to support the Lebanese army’s deployment in dealing with Hizbullah.
According to the French newspaper Le Monde, the international force would be permitted to use “deadly force” in its mandate to defend itself and provide protection for civilians. In addition, UNIFIL will be expected to help the Lebanese Army ensure that neighboring Syria does not bolster Hizbullah’s arm supply.
Lebanon has pledged 15,000 troops to the south. Yet, with 35 Hizbullah members currently serving in the Lebanese parliament, and statements by Lebanon’s Prime Minister Fuad Saniora praising Hizbullah for defending the nation, it is doubtful if Lebanese troops will attempt to disarm the terrorist organization.
In an interview with the Israeli Hebrew daily newspaper, Haaretz, Italian Foreign Minister D’Alema said that any international efforts to disarm Hizbullah must be initiated by Lebanon.
“This essentially depends on the Lebanese,” D’Alema said. “If the government of Lebanon wants to, it is certainly possible, and we must encourage the government of Lebanon. We cannot act against the will of the Lebanese government.
“If, with the assistance of a UN and European presence, a positive process begins in Lebanon - the country is stabilized and the fundamentalist threat is removed from Israel's borders - that will show people in Israel that the international community can be efficient, that Europe can be efficient,” D’Alema stated. “Such a process would prove to Israel that it can ensure its security better through the politics of peace than through war. The main problem is that in Israeli politics, peace and security are two different, often contradictory things."