Posted on 08/18/2006 5:02:03 AM PDT by Clive
WASHINGTON - Lebanon's government took control of the nation's south for the first time in a quarter of a century yesterday as a senior UN official pressed the international community for quick commitments of troops to a Middle East peacekeeping force, warning a delay could lead to renewed bloodshed between Israel and Hezbollah.
At a meeting in New York, UN Deputy Secretary-General Mark Malloch Brown pressed ambassadors from dozens of countries to tell the world body "in the next few days at most" how many soldiers they would contribute and when, after France sent plans into disarray by offering only a token number of troops.
"We must convert promises into firm commitments and commitments into rapid deployments on the ground. Every moment we delay is a moment of risk that the fighting could re-erupt," Mr. Malloch Brown told the closed-door meeting, according to a text of his remarks.
To date, only France has formally pledged to contribute, and its commitment of 200 troops will put barely a dent in the 15,000-strong force envisioned in last week's UN Security Council resolution ending the month-long war.
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan made a last-ditch call to French President Jacques Chirac yesterday in the hope of convincing a key architect of the resolution to stay the course and commit as many as 4,000 soldiers, as had been expected.
The call from Mr. Annan came as ambassadors from 49 countries gathered at UN headquarters to begin assembling the international force. The UN wants an initial force of at least 3,500 soldiers on the ground in Lebanon within the next two weeks to supplement and support the 15,000 Lebanese soldiers who have started deploying in the border area.
Mr. Chirac did commit his country to commanding the UN mission in Lebanon but he would only double the 200 troops currently operating in Lebanon under the UN banner. France is concerned at what it has called the "fuzzy" nature of the mandate.
"The mission, the rules of engagement and the resources for this force must be precise," Mr. Chirac told Mr. Annan, according to a statement released by the French government.
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Color me shocked (NOT).
You just got to hand it to the French - they know how to sip wine and live the good life while letting others do the dirty work and pay the bills.
Pah!!!!
Hey France and the UN, What finger am I holding up right now?
Israel is a member of the UN. Let them commit the troops.
The UN just ain't gettin' no respect!!
When the truth is finally known, I bet we will find out that France pulled a fast one on us. They promised 5,000 troops so the US would co-sponsor and approve the ceasefire resolution. Once the ceasefire was approved, they then backed out of their commitment.
Yep Bush never learns
First Teddy over for popcorn and on and on and on
"Israel is a member of the UN. Let them commit the troops."
Bravo, and I am sure that Israel could do the job right too.
"When the truth is finally known, I bet we will find out that France pulled a fast one on us. They promised 5,000 troops so the US would co-sponsor and approve the ceasefire resolution. Once the ceasefire was approved, they then backed out of their commitment."
No doubt you are right and now feckless Condi is too embarrassed to admit that she let this administration get snookered by Chirac in a Middle East crisis - for the second time, so she must spin the results of this fiasco, that by her own objectives was NOT supposed to leave the "status quo ante" in place.
It is time for Bush to give the Sec of State job to Bolton.
Careful. The United Nation's claim that they need troops to patrol southern Lebanon could be used to justify a U.N. demand for its own army, navy and air force.
It will probably come about this way.
The world cries for "peace" in Lebanon. The parties have stopped firing in response to a U. N. resolution but the U.N cannot enforce the peace for lack of troops. The U.N. must depend on member nations for its armed forces. Those troops are not forthcoming - so - the U.N. must be allowed to have its own forces.
Next, a U.N. world income tax to pay for a U.N. Peace Force. Get ready, it's coming.
Hey...Why don't you and Coffee pry your good-for-nothing arses out of you Corinthian leather chairs, push yourselves away from your mahogany tables laden with caviar and foi gras, stuff YOUR sorry, useless butts into blue uniforms and go DO IT YOURSELF you slimy, parasitic leeches?
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Foaming rant /off
Gee, who didn't see this coming...
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