Posted on 08/03/2006 12:08:45 PM PDT by neverdem
Associated Press
The United States plans to help train and equip the Lebanese army so it can take control of all of its territory when the warfare between Israel and Hezbollah eases, the State Department said Thursday.
The program was approved by Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to take effect "once we have conditions on the ground permitting," said department spokesman Sean McCormack.
McCormack provided no details on what equipment the United States might provide, the type of training that would be conducted, how many U.S. personnel would be involved, or how much the effort would cost.
Other nations in the international community will help out as well, McCormack said, as American diplomats continued consultations with French and other officials to work out a U.N. resolution for a cease-fire in Lebanon.
Gen. John Abizaid, who heads the U.S. Central Command, told the Senate Armed Services Committee Thursday that the Lebanese armed force "needs a significant upgrade of equipment and training capability that I believe the Western nations, particularly the United States, can assist with."
Before the outbreak in violence, Command officials visited the Lebanese armed forces and assessed their capabilities and needs, Abizaid said "We saw that they needed some significant spare parts," he said, and other help.
Speaking of prospects for ending the fighting, he said "it will never work for Lebanon if, over time, Hezbollah has a greater military capacity than the Lebanese armed forces."
Rice, Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns and Assistant Secretary of State David Welch are working with other governments, mostly by telephone, to hammer together a resolution "that stands up," McCormack said.
This would include disarming Hezbollah, already ordered by the Security Council in 2004, and establishing an international peacekeeping force to move into southern Lebanon.
Nations that would contribute troops to the force are expected to meet next week at the U.N. A meeting was postponed on Monday and again on Thursday. The Bush administration has ruled out U.S. troops taking part.
Rice plans to spend the weekend at President Bush's ranch in Texas and "she's going to be working the phones from Crawford just as she would be working the phones here in Washington," McCormack said.
"There's still some diplomacy that needs to be done," he said. It is "going to take some time," McCormack added, while also holding out the possibility of working out the terms by Friday.
Bush has said he does not envision the United States contributing ground troops to a peacekeeping force in south Lebanon, but could provide communications, logistics and other behind-the-scenes support.
The Bush administration is striving for a resolution that not only would end the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, now in its fourth week, but establish conditions for a lasting cease-fire. Many other countries favor an immediate cease fire.
One key element is having Lebanon take control of areas in the south that Hezbollah has used to carry on a cross-border war with Israel.
The training would be designed to help the Lebanese armed forces "exercise control and sovereignty over all of Lebanese territory once we have an end to the fighting in such a way that is durable," McCormack said.
We agree that Hezbollah is a terrorist organization.
Hezbollah got only 20 percent of the vote. Imagine how influential the Democrats would be if they got 20 percent of the vote.
Now life is a bit more complex, because Lebanon has a parlementary form of government.
The Lebanese government has a continuing obligation to disarm Hezbollah. Arming the Lebanese Army it would permit that task to actually happen.
Lebanon is a flawed state. Patching is actually a pretty good alternative.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1154525810323&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
Seems to indicate that not all Arabs care for Hezbollah.
Oh, OK. We will call US taxpayer support for a terrorist organization "patching". When the Dim party comes into power and requires that our young men and women be conscripted for a French "patching" effort do not call me. I am compelled to unequivocally state that I am vehemently opposed to another Marine or US serviceman (or woman) sacrificing their life for the worthless Lebanese experiment that France started.
Every Lebanese civilian is culpable. As is every Syrian and Iranian. If you demand US intervention in this conflict, make d@mn sure that we do not support the people sworn to our destruction. There are many patriotic American citizens that will oppose any form or fashion of supporting Hizb. I am one of them. If this includes military intervention against both of the combatant parties, so be it. KSA threatened us, the United States of America with war. Every single congress "person" has deflected on answering this declaration. The Republican party is spineless, loose, weak, and ineffective.
We have capitulated to the Useless Nations, and are a mere lap-poodle to the French. A German Frau has bigger 'nads than our President. How do you like me now?
I submit that providing support to the government that has to disarm Hezbollah is different from providing support to Hezbollah.
Just as providing support to George Washington is different from providing support to George III.
Hope you get that problem with the pills straightened out.
Alrighty then. Be sure to give them at least 18 years to get there. What the heck, give them 30 years. When one is working in the appeasement world, there is no time limit. Exactly how many more strikes on United States soil are you willing to take? Judging from this statement, you will take 4 or 5 more. How about the government that has to disarm Wahabbi radicals? You may choose to give them more strikes, and it is likely that it will happen. Do not come crying to me when when the unspeakable horrors are carried out on the poor put upon muzzies. The tipping point has been crossed, in case you missed it. You will never see on CNN, nor read in the NYT what happens to terrorist supporters inside our country. Go back to sleep.
What part of helping Lebanon get rid of Hezbollah do you not understand?
When you have an election of 70 percent against Hezbollah, why are you ready to throw the good people away?
In Israel, you can't get 70 percent to vote against Hezbollah! Nor could you in the US! Should we not support the US military because of jerks like Durbin, Kennedy, Kerry and Murtha?
Honestly! what drives you people?
Seventy percent of whom? Jew hating Hizb sympathizers, methinks. If the Lebanese had the intestinal fortitude to rid their "blossoming democracy" of Hizb, they would have. Oh, wait. The United States of America must step in to every little French pissant conflict in the world. May the government, and people of Lebanon that brought this upon themselves perish. Life is tough, and even tougher when one is stupid.
70 percent voted against Hezbollah, to get Syria to withdraw.
Hezbollah got 20 percent on the ticket of keeping Syria in Lebanon.
With that kind of majority, Lebanon's elected government invited Hezbollah into the government, gave them a cabinet seat, and tried to convince them to disarm.
It is in response to the successful overtures of the elected Lebanon's government that Hezbollah had to use their weapons. It is their last gasp, their last chance to avoid irrelevence.
A commendable effort. Yet it did not work out. The key words being "Lebanon's elected government invited a terrorist organization into the government". Screw them all. Unless you advocate dealing with terrorist organizations if they are kind of sort of maybe affiliated with a French protectorate from 1921? If so, please make the plain statement. I advocate the killing and destruction of terrorist organizations. If this make me a bad person, so be it.
The terms were: they would be invited into the government, and they would no longer be a terrorist organization.
You have to make allies, or spend every drop of blood yourself, and let those who did not commit military force reap the benefits.
What was the the name of that Jewish terrorist?
Oh yes, Menachim Begin!
According to whom? Is Hizb now included in the Leb govt? If so, the Leb govt is at war with Israel. None of the USA's business at all. Unless you think Hizb and Iran should jump froggy on the USA. Do you?
Because if you do, we will not send ground troops.
Actually, Hezbollah would be at war with both Lebanon and Israel.
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