Posted on 10/27/2006 5:28:54 AM PDT by Esther Ruth
Russia: UN peacekeepers unlikely to disarm Hizbullah
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Ivanov says he doubts UNIFIL forces deployed in southern Lebanon would be able to disarm group, as required under UN Security Council Resolution 1701
AFP Published: 10.27.06, 13:35
UN peacekeepers deployed in Lebanon are unlikely to be able to disarm Hizbullah, as required under UN Security Council Resolution 1701, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov has said, a news agency has reported.
"Under the UN mandate, one of the main functions of the peacekeepers is to disarm Hizbullah," Ivanov was quoted as saying by the state-run news agency RIA-Novosti on Friday. "I strongly doubt that the UN will fulfil this task."
Ivanov said that concern over this aspect of the peacekeepers' mission was one of the reasons Moscow decided to send a peacekeeping contingent to Lebanon under an accord reached separately with the Lebanese government, instead of under the UN mandate, RIA-Novosti reported.
Ivanov said the 308 troops, who have been assigned to repairing eight bridges bombed by the Israelis, would return in about six weeks, RIA-Novosti reported.
UN Security Council Resolution 1701 requires the Shiite group Hizbullah, which fought a 34-day war against Israel in July-August, to disarm.
Peacekeepers are instructed to ensure the south Lebanon border area with Israel is "free of any armed personnel and weapons other than those of the Lebanese armed forces and UNIFIL (peacekeepers)."
Hizbullah guerrillas have kept a low profile since the resolution, but refused to disarm.
They are, however, threatening to fire on the IDF. The UN's mission was never to disarm Hizbullah, it was to protect Hizbullah while it rearms.
Has the UN ever disarmed any country? Are not the UN the ones who cut and run when faced by any armed and hostile party?
More of the same.
In the meantime Russia will see this as an opportunity to peddle off their crap to Syria and back-door it to the Hezbollah as well, which is financed by Iran. Either way, Israel and the US get screwed, Russia sees their influence in this region increase, and they walk off with millions. It's a no loose situation.
Let me guess, Russia is against strict sanctions on Iran too! I'm shocked!
Israel over the several years of occupation failed to disarm Hezbollah. Actually the opposite happened, UNDER the Israeli occupation the Hezbollah was born, grew and in the end forced the occupying troops to leave.
The key reason is that the Hezbollah is rooted in the local population and the only way to remove it is the expulsion of inhabitants.
I agree that the only way to remove Hezbollah is the expulsion of the inhabitants.
duuuuuuuuuh, Russia is the ones who arm them.
The problem is that the expelled inhabitants if not exterminated, will form the new base for attacks and resistance somewhere else.
To keep the policy of expulsion and expansion Israel would have to have a very high reproduction rate among its own people to fill the emptied territories.
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