By Thalif Deen
UNITED NATIONS, Aug 19 2006 (IPS)

When the United Nations appealed to its 192 member states for troops for its revamped peacekeeping force in Lebanon, it was expecting mostly “well-trained, well-equipped” forces from the Western world.

When the United Nations appealed to its 192 member states for troops for its revamped peacekeeping force in Lebanon, it was expecting mostly “well-trained, well-equipped” forces from the Western world.

But the first positive responses have come mostly from the developing world, including three predominantly Muslim nations.

Nepal, Malaysia and Indonesia have offered a battalion each (anything between 600 and 1,000 troops) along with Bangladesh, which has offered two battalions.

Mark Malloch Brown, U.N. deputy secretary-general, told reporters Friday the commitments made by the four countries were “enormously helpful and a major contribution.”

“But we want this force that we deploy to have a kind of multinational, multilateral character so that it enjoys the confidence of both sides,” he added.

Malloch Brown said such a proposed mix of troops would provide a legitimacy that satisfies both sides to this conflict – Israel and Lebanon. “It is very important that Europe now steps forward,” he added.

“Our objective is very clear: 3,500 troops on the ground by, I think, Aug. 28, and we will meet, call, do whatever combination of contacts is necessary to get to that deadline successfully,” he added.

But the biggest disappointment, according to U.N. sources, is the unwillingness of Western nations to make any firm troop commitments. The United Nations was expecting to deploy a “robust force” in Lebanon: a code word for highly-trained Western troops.

France, which will command the new U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), is the only Western country that has so far agreed to send troops – but only about 400, doubling its present troop strength with the existing UNIFIL, which was created in March 1978.

Asked whether the United Nations was disappointed with French offer, Malloch Brown said: “Well, we were disappointed, yes. We had hoped France would be able to do more.”

The Italian government has also “made a firm commitment, but they are not yet firm on numbers.” The Italians are expected to make an announcement next week.

Malloch Brown said French President Jacques Chirac has been very clear with Secretary-General Kofi Annan that France is keeping its 1,700 troops at sea in the area to give logistics support for the U.N. force.

After a meeting of potential troop contributors on Thursday, the United Nations expressed confidence it will be able to immediately raise about 3,500 troops for the new revamped UNIFIL entrusted with the task of monitoring the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.

This is based primarily on troop offers made by Bangladesh, Nepal, Indonesia and Malaysia. The 3,500 troops will reinforce the existing 2,000 UNIFIL troops already on the ground.

The United Nations is still short of 9,500 troops to meet the targeted 15,000 troops called for by the U.N. Security Council in a unanimous resolution adopted Aug. 11 to end the war between Israel and Hezbollah.

Germany is expected to provide surveillance ships, Greece a frigate and Denmark two fast patrol boats.

Malloch Brown said there were three sets of would-be participants in the new UNIFIL: those who were already in a condition to be relatively firm with their offers; those who need to see the details, particularly on the rules of engagement; and then a third group who are in principle willing to support, but who have not yet in their own national systems come up with specific offers.

Since some of the Muslim countries offering troops have no diplomatic relations with Israel, the Israelis have expressed reservations.

“We have spoken to the Israelis,” Malloch Brown said, and the Israeli foreign minister has been told about the composition of the U.N. force. “And I think they are reflecting on it.”

“Well, as a number of people have said, the final word on what is acceptable is ours, and these troops are deployed in Lebanese territory, not Israeli territory,” he added.

“But still, as a matter of good form in peacekeeping you want a force which is broadly acceptable in its composition to both sides, which is why we have talked about this European-Muslim core to the force, and I think the issue is balance.”

“The more we can fill this force out with a number of key nationalities providing major pillars or legs to it, the more the Israelis can be persuaded to look at its overall composition rather than focusing singularly on particular contributors,” he pointed out.

The existing UNIFIL costs about 100 million dollars annually. If the revamped UNIFIL gets off the ground, it will be the second largest U.N. peacekeeping force, numbering about 15,000.

Currently, the largest force is the 15,600-strong U.N. Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC), created in November 1999 and costing over 1.1 billion dollars annually.

Excerpt:

By Thalif Deen
UNITED NATIONS, Aug 18 2006 (IPS)

When the United Nations appealed to its 192 member states for troops for its revamped peacekeeping force in Lebanon, it was expecting mostly “well-trained, well-equipped” forces from the Western world.

But the first positive responses have come mostly from the developing world, including three predominantly Muslim nations.

Nepal, Malaysia and Indonesia have offered a battalion each (anything between 600 and 1,000 troops) along with Bangladesh, which has offered two battalions.

Mark Malloch Brown, U.N. deputy secretary-general, told reporters Friday the commitments made by the four countries were “enormously helpful and a major contribution.”

“But we want this force that we deploy to have a kind of multinational, multilateral character so that it enjoys the confidence of both sides,” he added.

He said the United Nations is hoping it would be “a Muslim-European, or a European-Muslim force, because of both group’s interest in this situation.”

“Our objective is very clear: 3,500 troops on the ground by, I think, Aug. 28, and we will meet, call, do whatever combination of contacts is necessary to get to that deadline successfully,” he added.

But the biggest disappointment, according to U.N. sources, is the unwillingness of Western nations to make any firm troop commitments. The United Nations was expecting to deploy a “robust force” in Lebanon: a code word for highly-trained Western troops.

France, which will command the new U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), is the only Western country that has so far agreed to send troops – but only about 400, doubling its present troop strength with the existing UNIFIL, which was created in March 1978.

Asked whether the United Nations was disappointed with French offer, Malloch Brown said: “Well, we were disappointed, yes. We had hoped France would be able to do more.”

The Italian government has also “made a firm commitment, but they are not yet firm on numbers.” The Italians are expected to make an announcement next week.

Malloch Brown said French President Jacques Chirac has been very clear with Secretary-General Kofi Annan that France is keeping its 1,700 troops at sea in the area to give logistics support for the U.N. force.

After a meeting of potential troop contributors on Thursday, the United Nations expressed confidence it will be able to immediately raise about 3,500 troops for the new revamped UNIFIL entrusted with the task of monitoring the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.

This is based primarily on troop offers made by Bangladesh, Nepal, Indonesia and Malaysia. The 3,500 troops will reinforce the existing 2,000 UNIFIL troops already on the ground.

The United Nations is still short of 9,500 troops to meet the targeted 15,000 troops called for by the U.N. Security Council in a unanimous resolution adopted Aug. 11 to end the war between Israel and Hezbollah.

Germany is expected to provide surveillance ships, Greece a frigate and Denmark two fast patrol boats.

Malloch Brown said there were three sets of would-be participants in the new UNIFIL: those who were already in a condition to be relatively firm with their offers; those who need to see the details, particularly on the rules of engagement; and then a third group who are in principle willing to support, but who have not yet in their own national systems come up with specific offers.

Since some of the Muslim countries offering troops have no diplomatic relations with Israel, the Israelis have expressed reservations.

“We have spoken to the Israelis,” Malloch Brown said, and the Israeli foreign minister has been told about the composition of the U.N. force. “And I think they are reflecting on it.”

“Well, as a number of people have said, the final word on what is acceptable is ours, and these troops are deployed in Lebanese territory, not Israeli territory,” he added.

“But still, as a matter of good form in peacekeeping you want a force which is broadly acceptable in its composition to both sides, which is why we have talked about this European-Muslim core to the force, and I think the issue is balance.”

“The more we can fill this force out with a number of key nationalities providing major pillars or legs to it, the more the Israelis can be persuaded to look at its overall composition rather than focusing singularly on particular contributors,” he pointed out.

The existing UNIFIL costs about 100 million dollars annually. If the revamped UNIFIL gets off the ground, it will be the second largest U.N. peacekeeping force, numbering about 15,000.

Currently, the largest force is the 15,600-strong U.N. Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC), created in November 1999 and costing over 1.1 billion dollars annually.

Excerpt: