Lebanon Buffer Force Proposed

[barb162]

Lebanon Buffer Force Proposed
Bush, Blair Plan An Appeal to U.N.

By Michael Abramowitz and Robin Wright
Washington Post Staff Writers
Saturday, July 29, 2006; Page A01

President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair agreed yesterday to seek a U.N. resolution next week calling for the creation of a multinational force that would help the Lebanese government extend control of the country to areas dominated by Hezbollah guerrillas.

The resolution would also call for a cessation of hostilities in Lebanon, but Bush and Blair made it clear they were not talking about the kind of immediate cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah being promoted by other world leaders.

As U.S. officials and foreign diplomats described the plan, the halt in fighting would be conditioned on a broader political settlement in which the international force would help the Lebanese government police the south and maintain a buffer zone separating Hezbollah from Israel, if not disarm the militant group.

After a meeting with Blair at the White House, Bush said he is sending Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice back to the Middle East this weekend to negotiate the details of a resolution that he said could help achieve "lasting peace and stability" for Israel and Lebanon. U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan has scheduled a meeting at U.N. headquarters in New York on Monday to press governments to participate in a multinational force.
snip
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/28/AR2006072801008.html

[peacetalksforall]

1. Why am I remembering the words of George from about two years ago...

words to the effect that Africans could become peacekeepers - I believe he mentioned the ME.

[barb162]

2. Wow, I never heard that one

LOL

[peacetalksforall]

3. Yes, the very first thought out of my head was - ah yes, in his head,

they are dispensible and less expensive than our young kids. Sorry for my blunt thoughts - I'm pushed by the pros of plans.

It hit me like a torpedo. I've mentioned it here many times, but I should stop and find it soon so I can link it.

I thought they must already be training them or he was floating the idea.

Under a humanitarian President I would have considered the potential and benefits. TO THEM, the Africans. NOT US.

[barb162]

9. I read somewhere a day or two ago that many of the

UN "peacekeeepers" are from Ghana. Whether that is the case, I don't know

[Igel]

6. It's African Union troops in

Darfur, some 7k of them, and although the UNIFIL bunker that was struck on Thursday or Friday was in the Indian Battalion, the majority of the cases of Hezbollah's using UNIFIL positions as cover for firing their missiles has been ... wait for it ...

... from positions in the Ghanaian Battalion.

In any event, the big deal 2 years ago around this time was Darfur. The division of labor was US/EU money, African troops. (Recently the AU said they needed more money, and wanted to pass the job off to the UN, but Sudan said 'no'.)

[peacetalksforall]

7. It makes sense that the timing would make it appropriate to bring it

up. What struck me was his reference to 'world' police (for peace, of course) and mostly exclusive or in dominant numbers.

What I'm not following is the UNIFIL picture - I'm off to see if there is a visual or some text of the batallions?

Are you saying that INIFIL workers are organized by country batallions and bombing that was creditied to Hezbollah originated in UNIFIL Ghanaian Battalion.

Maybe I'll be able to answer my own question.

[Igel]

8. Sorry for the delay.

Yes, the peacekeepers are organized broadly into two battalions.

http://www.un.org/Depts/Cartographic/map/dpko/unifil.pdf shows them and their distribution. The bunker that was hit was in INDBAT, but the south, where the fighting has been more widespread, is GHANBAT.

http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/unifil/ is the UNIFIL site, and is handy to peruse.

Under those commands--the top guy in Lebanon is French--observers and peacekeepers from different countries can either form coherent units, and are so marked, or they mix with other countries' troops to form composite units.

OGL--the bunker in al-Khiyam--is "Observer Group Lebanon".


Just for kicks, I've found this map to be useful in following news reports--most maps don't include this kind of detail.

http://almashriq.hiof.no/lebanon/900/910/912/maps/mot-maps/english-map/eng-l07.html is a roadmap of S. Lebanon. It doesn't have a scale, but it shows every rinky-dink village: that's where the fighting is taking place, and it's really a useful reference in reading the reports, and putting things into perspective.

[PFunk]

4. What we are seeing here is a CYA moment.

CYA=Cover Your Ass.

Since they don't want to agree to a cease fire. This is the next best thing. Personally I don't think they well get anybody for this force unless they do agree to a cease fire.

[peacetalksforall]

5. We are sanctioning death to meet Israel and PNAC-baron demands for

their control and profit agenda - at our expense.

God bless all the little people and other innocents. Blessed be the peacemakers. We need a Ghandi, Mandela, King. Mother-Father save our planet.