Germany expected to send troops to Lebanon

[tocqueville]

1 hour, 23 minutes ago

BERLIN - Germany will likely contribute more than 1,200 service personnel to the U.N. peacekeeping force for Lebanon, its defense minister said in remarks published Thursday.

Germany has already offered warships backed by surveillance aircraft to prevent weapons being smuggled to Hezbollah guerrillas after their war with Israel. But officials have previously refused to say how many personnel Germany would send, insisting the precise mission must first be worked out.

Defense Minister Franz Josef Jung made his remarks when asked in a newspaper interview about reports that the German force would number about 1,200.

"This is still being agreed, particularly with the Lebanese government. But I expect that the number will probably be greater," Jung was quoted as saying in the Neue Presse daily.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060831/ap_on_re_mi_ea/mideast_germany

[ERF]

1. This has caused a lot of soul searching in Germany.

Germans really don't want to do it, but the government knows it is in Germany's long-term interest and there is a real need for Europe to be more engaged thanks to * destruction of America's capacity to effectively act as a neutral arbiter and/or actually place troops anywhere else other than Iraq.

[tocqueville]

2. basically the past is the past

none is outraged in France when Angela comes to France the anniversary day of the Liberation of Paris and pays official honors to the fallen. Either you accept that Germany is a modern reliable democracy, that could teach others some lessons, despite its past. And right now Germany could teach Israel some lessons...

Last year I was to an exhibition of the joined Eurocorps in my hometown. There were plenty of German soldiers in uniform on the street and nobody was calling them Nazis. And they talked freely to the French there, showing their Leopard tank.

[David__77]

3. Germany should stay out of other countries' affairs.

There should be no German troops occupying others' soil.

[tocqueville]

4. neither should they be Israeli troops either

because if somebody is OCCUPYING territories that don't belong to them, it's Israel : both around half of historical Palestine and parts of Syria. Israel has been OCCUPYING Lebanese territory in 18 years.

German and other troops are not OCCUPYING any territory, they are PEACEKEEPING at the demand of the international community and of the Lebanese government. That's the major difference. Israel's occupation is ILLEGAL but other troops in the region are there perfectly LEGALLY.

So in that part of the world, if somebody ought to stay out of other countries affairs, Israel is the first in the line.

[Eurobabe]

5. Let's go utopian. No country should occupy another's soil

eom

[Toots]

7. What about America, does that advice apply as well?

:shrug:

[MikeyJones]

9. I agree with you

but probably for reasons that are far different from yours.

[underpants]

6. SEE! Rummy was right about all that appeasing and stuff

:bounce:

[MikeyJones]

8. Bad fucking move

The last thing they need is to get involve with the whole Israeli/Arab mess. I think they and the rest of the Euro force should pull out. I know France is leading it because it still feels paternal feelings toward its former "colony." I guess they think its their bed to sleep in. Elitist bastards, 50 years later and they still can't understand the concept of independence.