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Lebanon force can defend itself
23/08/2006 07:27 - (SA)
Paris - UN peacekeepers in Lebanon will likely have the right to open fire to defend themselves and to protect civilians, but will be barred from actively searching for Hezbollah weapons, a French report said on Tuesday.
Le Monde newspaper said it had obtained a copy of a 21-page document laying out the provisional rules of engagement for the force, newly strengthened under a UN security council resolution.
The document, not yet approved, was stamped "UN Restricted," the newspaper said.
Officials at the foreign and defence ministries declined to comment on the report.
UN trying to get more troops
While the United Nations is trying to secure more troops to boost the force from 2 000 troops to up to 15 000, many European countries have been unwilling to commit extra peacekeepers without establishing more explicit rules of engagement. EU officials in Brussels were to meet on Wednesday to discuss troop contributions.
The document cited in Le Monde did not apparently satisfy European countries, as it was distributed to all potential contributor countries on Friday, according to the report.
'Appropriate and credible force'
Under the terms currently being discussed, the peacekeepers would operate mostly defensively, though they would be cleared to "use appropriate and credible force ... if necessary," Le Monde said, citing the document.
The force would be authorised to prevent hostile activities in a buffer zone in southern Lebanon; to counter anyone who tries to prevent peacekeepers from carrying out their mandate; and to "protect civilians in immediate threat of physical violence," Le Monde said, citing the document.
Seize arms
The newspaper said it obtained another working document that says the Lebanese army, working alongside the peacekeepers, must take control of the buffer zone and be responsible for disarming Hezbollah.
It quoted an unnamed UN official who said that peacekeepers could not actively seek weapons hidden by the militant group, but that they could seize any arms they found in normal patrols. The peacekeeping force, known as UNIFIL, will also set up checkpoints, the official said.
France - Lebanon's former colonial master - currently commands the existing 2 000-troop force. It has disappointed the UN and other countries by merely doubling its own contingent of 200 troops. Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi has said that his country is willing to command the force, adding that he wants it to have a clearer mandate.
- AP
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