Reuters: UN Lebanon force could start deploying in 7-10 days

[Eugene]

UN Lebanon force could start deploying in 7-10 days
Sat Aug 12, 2006 5:48am ET

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - The United Nations expects Israel's ground offensive
to wind down in one to two days and an expanded international force to begin
deploying in southern Lebanon in a week to 10 days, the U.N.'s envoy said
on Saturday.

"We are not starting from zero... We have building blocks in place as part
of stand-by arrangements with a number of countries with earmarked contingents,"
Alvaro de Soto, the U.N. special envoy for the Middle East peace process, told
Reuters.

De Soto said Israel's offensive was in its "last throws" and should wrap up
in one to two days. A formal, verifiable ceasefire could be reached "within a week
or so," allowing the deployment of Lebanese troops along with an expanded U.N.
force, de Soto said.

-snip-

Full article: http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2006-08-12T094924Z_01_L12691988_RTRUKOC_0_US-MIDEAST-UN-FORCE.xml

[lastknowngood]

1. Good luck finding volunteers for this one. Who will send troops?

n/t

[muriel_volestrangler]

2. Nations offer to send troops to Mideast

France, New Zealand and Italy said Saturday they are ready to send peacekeeping troops to help Lebanon regain control of its south, as governments around the world welcomed a U.N. resolution calling for an end to hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah.

France, which already has some troops in southern Lebanon, will "play a role in putting the new resolution into place, particularly in regards to the new" expanded U.N. force, said President Jacques Chirac.
...
Turkey also said it was inclined to send peacekeepers.

"If the conditions are met, we will look at the issue very favorably," Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul was quoted as saying by the government-owned Anatolia news agency.

http://www.pennlive.com/newsflash/international/index.ssf?/base/international-33/115538454777840.xml&storylist=international

[Ghost Dog]

3. cf.

http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2006-08-12T094924Z_01_L12691988_RTRUKOC_0_US-MIDEAST-UN-FORCE.xml
"We are not starting from zero... We have building blocks in place as part of stand-by arrangements with a number of countries with earmarked contingents," Alvaro de Soto, the U.N. special envoy for the Middle East peace process, told Reuters.

De Soto said Israel's offensive was in its "last throws"{sic} and should wrap up in one to two days. A formal, verifiable ceasefire could be reached "within a week or so," allowing the deployment of Lebanese troops along with an expanded U.N. force, de Soto said.

De Soto said Israel has a right to continue to defend itself but must be mindful that its actions comply with the resolution, which calls for Israel to stop "all offensive military operations".

"The Security Council will take very seriously any action in defiance of it," de Soto said. "We fully expect full compliance."

[Ian David]

4. Where were those troops when they passed UN Resolution 1559 on 9/4/04?

Why didn't the world feel the need to take action back then?



United Nations Security Council Resolution 1559
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

United Nations Security Council Resolution 1559 was a resolution adopted by the United Nations Security Council on September 2, 2004. It called upon Lebanon to establish its sovereignty over all of its land and called upon Syria to end its military presence in Lebanon by withdrawing its forces and to cease intervening in internal Lebanese politics. The resolution also called on all Lebanese militias to disband.

Nine countries voted in favor: Angola, Benin, Chile, France, Germany, Romania, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Six countries abstained: Algeria, Brazil, the People's Republic of China, Pakistan, the Philippines and Russia.

The resolution was sponsored by France and the United States. The cooperation between these two nations on an issue concerning the Middle East was seen as a significant improvement in their relationship, compared to their earlier bitter disagreement over the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Due to the fact that Lebanon was governed by France as a League of Nations mandate 1919-1943, France has long taken a special interest in Lebanon.

<snip>

On October 7, 2004 the UN Secretary General Kofi Annan reported to the Security Council regarding the lack of compliance with Resolution 1559. Mr. Annan concluded his report by saying: "It is time, 14 years after the end of hostilities and four years after the Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon, for all parties concerned to set aside the remaining vestiges of the past. The withdrawal of foreign forces and the disbandment and disarmament of militias would, with finality, end that sad chapter of Lebanese history."<4>

More:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Security_Council_Resolution_1559

[Clarkie1]

5. Excellent question.

Let' hope the international community, and especially the Lebanese army, do their job this time and do it right.