U.N. force in Lebanon getting weaponry

AP on Yahoo ^ | 8/31/06 | Todd Pitman - ap

[NormsRevenge]

BEIRUT, Lebanon - The U.N. force in Lebanon will soon receive the first real boost in weapons and manpower: one battalion each of Italian and French troops with heavy armor, including tanks and artillery, officials said Thursday.

Nearly 1,000 Italian soldiers are due in the war-battered southern port of Tyre on Saturday, the largest addition yet to the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon, or UNIFIL, spokesman Alexander Ivanko told The Associated Press.

So far, only 250 extra French troops have arrived since a Security Council resolution promising an expanded U.N. force halted a month of fierce clashes between Israel and Hezbollah on Aug. 14.

Under the resolution, the 2,000-strong UNIFIL is to be increased to 15,000. Along with an equal number of Lebanese soldiers, the blue-helmeted troops are to deploy across south Lebanon as Israeli forces withdraw, leaving behind a buffer zone between Israel and Hezbollah.

France, which will initially lead the force, is sending its first full battalion of 882 troops and a shipment of tanks and heavy armor next week, French Defense Minister Michele Alliot-Marie told reporters. The troops will arrive in southern Lebanon by ship on Sept. 10 and will be operational Sept. 15.

France's contribution is expected to include Leclerc tanks, surface-to-surface artillery, short-range anti-aircraft missiles and radar — unusually heavy weapons for a peacekeeping force.

The heavy weaponry "has a dissuasive character and guarantees the freedom of movement and the security of the troops," Alliot-Marie told lawmakers in a closed-door session Wednesday. Excerpts from that meeting were released by the Defense Ministry Thursday.

U.N. member states are given wide freedom to supply their missions the equipment as see fit. Still, peacekeeping deployments don't normally deploy such heavy equipment — though the U.N. has required nations to in some hot spots, as in Congo, where it has attack helicopters in use.

"It's important that we arrive in sufficient strength to deter any potential spoilers and provide confidence in the process to strengthen the cessation of hostilities agreement and bring political breathing space for the parties on the ground," said Nick Birnback, an adviser in the U.N. Peacekeeping Department.

Alliot-Marie insisted France had obtained all "necessary guarantees" for its troops before committing to UNIFIL, given concern over previous peacekeeping debacles in Bosnia and Congo.

She also warned the 19-day-old cease-fire in Lebanon was being "imperfectly respected," and that the situation on the ground was still fragile. Though the truce has held overall, minor clashes and an Israeli raid into Lebanon have been reported.

On Friday, French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin will hold talks in Rome with Italian Premier Romano Prodi about the peacekeeping force, Villepin's office said.

The meeting will address the situation in the Middle East "at the moment when our two countries have decided to become involved in a strong way in keeping the peace in Lebanon," Villepin's office said in a statement.

Both countries were deeply involved in crafting and securing the U.N. cease-fire resolution. France will initially lead UNIFIL and Rome has signed up to take command of the mission in 2007.

Europe has pledged 6,900 soldiers for UNIFIL. Italy's contribution of 2,500 troops is the largest, second to France's 2,000.

An advance team of 29 Spanish soldiers arrived Wednesday in Beirut on a reconnaissance mission to prepare a larger contingent that could number up to 1,000 if Spain's Parliament approves the deployment, Ivanko said.

The Italian Defense Ministry put the number of its troops arriving in Tyre on Saturday at 800 and said 200 more would arrive in Beirut the next day.

The five-ship Italian fleet set off for Lebanon on Tuesday carrying Italian marines and engineering corps specialists. Italian commanders have said the troops are likely to be deployed in and around Tyre.

Alliot-Marie said a second French battalion would head to Lebanon a few weeks after the first.

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan has said UNIFIL would not disarm Hezbollah fighters as called for by Israel, and would only deploy along the Syrian frontier if the Lebanese government asks them to. Syria opposes any international forces along its border.

In her speech to lawmakers, Alliot-Marie said the French commitment to UNIFIL would cost $128 million for the first year, and that U.N. funds could reimburse between $12.8 million and $25.6 million.

A separate, emergency contingent of about 200 French soldiers arrived at Beirut airport Sunday to help the Lebanese army rebuild bridges destroyed or damaged during 34 days of fighting between Israeli forces and Hezbollah guerrillas. That team was sent to allow the existing UNIFIL force greater mobility, Alliot-Marie said.

The French government sent two ships carrying 15 temporary bridges, oil cleanup equipment and humanitarian aid to Lebanon this week as part of the rebuilding effort, the Foreign Ministry said Thursday.

UNIFIL has been in Lebanon since 1978 to monitor the withdrawal of Israeli troops who invaded Lebanon the same year.

___

Associated Press writer Emmanuel Georges-Picot in Troyes, France, contributed to this report.

[NormsRevenge]

A Lebanese Armenian protester carries a placard during a demonstration against the participation of the Turkish troops in the peacekeeping force in Lebanon, in front of the United Nations House in downtown Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, Aug. 31, 2006. US, EU and Israel pressed for peacekeepers from Turkey, the only Muslim member of NATO, and a country with close ties to Israel and Arab countries. The large Armenian population in Lebanon has loudly protested Turkish involvement. Armenians say up to 1.5 million Armenians died or were killed over several years during World War I as part of a genocidal campaign to force them out of eastern Turkey. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Tawil)

[NormsRevenge]

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan during a news conference with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank city of Ramallah, August 30, 2006. (Mike Hutchings/Reuters)

[NormsRevenge]

A Palestinian boy attends a Fatah rally in support of Hizbollah, in Gaza August 31, 2006. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem (GAZA)

[rwgal]

I hear they are getting the French rifles...only dropped once.

[NormsRevenge]

Bill Clinton Memorial Oslo Accord Middle East Peace Bridge.

Workers use heavy machinery to clear the rubble of a two-way bridge that was destroyed following Israeli bombardment during the 34-day long Hezbollah-Israel war, in the southern town of Zahrani, south of the port city of Sidon, Lebanon, Thursday, Aug. 31, 2006, in order to replace it with a new one as the country works to rebuild itself after an Aug. 14 cease-fire took effect. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)

[Albert Barr]

"UNIFIL has been in Lebanon since 1978 to monitor the withdrawal of Israeli troops who invaded Lebanon the same year. "

completly unprovoked, I am sure.

[skinkinthegrass]

Std. Equipment: Spitball Shooter(s), (French) White Flag and Condoms.

[diverteach]

Seems pointless to me seeing as though they're not allowed to use them.

Then again, we are talking about the UN, and pointless is thier unspoken mission statement.

[ChristianDefender]

France's contribution is expected to include Leclerc tanks, surface-to-surface artillery, short-range anti-aircraft missiles and radar — unusually heavy weapons for a peacekeeping force.

Hmmmm... it seems that the French are more likely to defend the Hesbos with this kind of weaponry...

[elfman2]

[ChristianDefender]

LOL... i bet that pic was during JK's paintball wargames...

[Screaming_Gerbil]

  

LECLERC Main Battle Tank, France

[Screaming_Gerbil]

My guess would be the tanks are for any Hezbollah fighters they may encounter, the artillery is to respond to any motor or rocket attacks, and the Anti-Air radar and missiles are for any Unmanned Aerial Vehicles loaded with explosives that the Hezbollah may try to use.

All joking about the French being cheese eating surrender monkeys aside - althought their government may be weak and wobbly (kinda like ours is under Democrats) and the majority of the people have seem to have gotten soft and lazy, I would bet the French military soldiers are going into this deadly serious and will whack anyone hard who tries to test them.

[Screaming_Gerbil]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FAMAS

...The FAMAS saw service in 1991 in Kuwait during Operation Desert Storm and in other various peacekeeping missions afterwards. French troops found the weapon to be reliable and trustworthy under combat conditions. The FAMAS is affectionately known as Le Clairon ("the bugle", because of its shape) amongst French troops...

[ChristianDefender]

Good point... France has a good history of excellent infantry and armed units... and ohhh im a LeClerc Battle Tank Fan... love that pic... i admire them next to Merkava of IDF...

But im also concerned about the tendencies that these French military arsenal and infantry will be used by U.N. with French leader's backing as defense against possible Israeli attacks (retaliatory) if the Hesbooz will ignite the fire again. Remember that they still have the kidnapped troops until this time.

[Constantine XI Palaeologus]

"short-range anti-aircraft missiles and radar"

What?! I don't know if any UAVs fielded by Hezbollah would be able to be knocked down or worth knocking down with a missile. Assuming they're using Mistrals (or something like it), I assume that the IR signature of whatever drones Hezbollah uses is too small to track. Also, what's the radar signature like?

How big are the Hezbollah UAVs? I was always under the impression that they're like the model airplane with camera versions, not like a Predator or Global Hawk.

Again, assuming something like a Mistral is being referred to, that's basically begging Hezbollah to take them (or maybe that's the intent? :tinfoil hat:). It's like when the Soviets took SAMs to Afghanistan.

[An.American.Expatriate]

I would bet the French military soldiers are going into this deadly serious and will whack anyone hard who tries to test them.

The are not allowed to under the resolution (Chapter 6 instead of Chapter 7).

Do you REALLY think that the UN Force will fire artillery at locations where the Hezi's fire thier rockets (shades of Qana)?

I'd be VERY interested to see the emplacement locations / azimuths of the artillery / anti aircraft radars / missles.......

[Dosa26]

What?! I don't know if any UAVs fielded by Hezbollah would be able to be knocked down or worth knocking down with a missile

My thoughts exactly. I'm no expert, but I would guess those Iranian things are balsa and canvass flying low and slow.