United States President George Bush called on Monday for the urgent deployment of a United Nations peacekeeping force to southern Lebanon to shore up a week-old truce between Israel and Hezbollah guerrillas.
He said there will be another UN resolution on the rules for such a force. ”First things first will be to get the rules of engagement clear,” he told a news conference in Washington.
Announcing a $230-million aid package to Lebanon that includes 25 000 tons of wheat, Bush called for UN forces to ”deploy as quickly as possible to keep the peace”.
A UN truce last Monday halted the 34-day war between Israel and Hezbollah in which nearly 1 200 people were killed in Lebanon, as well as 157 Israelis. However, assembling a UN force to keep the peace is proving difficult.
In Berlin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel described the situation in Lebanon as ”very fragile” and also called for a swift deployment of UN troops to the south.
Italy emerged as the potential leader of such a force following telephone talks between Prime Minister Romano Prodi and his opposite numbers in Beirut and Jerusalem.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, hosting senior UN envoys in Jerusalem, spoke to Prodi late on Sunday and said he would be happy to see the Italians in charge.
Italy’s right-wing opposition warned the deployment could prove a ”kamikaze” mission, but the Lebanese Cabinet was expected to welcome Rome’s initiative later on Monday.
A senior Lebanese political source said 2 500 Italian soldiers would join the UN contingent.
Despite Merkel’s call for speed, Germany will not be sending combat troops. Many Germans are sensitive about sending soldiers to the region, 60 years after the Holocaust, because they worry German soldiers might have to shoot at Israelis.
France had earlier been expected to lead the force but then dismayed the UN by offering only 200 troops to add to those it already has in the existing 2 000-strong UN force in Lebanon, known as Unifil.
Since then, the impetus appears to have swung towards Rome, although the Lebanese source said details still had to be worked out with both France and Italy.
Israel says it needs to patrol Lebanon’s borders to prevent arms smuggling to Hezbollah in the absence of Lebanese or international troops. It launched a commando raid on a Hezbollah stronghold in eastern Lebanon on Saturday, which the UN said violated the Security Council resolution that halted the war.
‘Defensive action’
Israel said the helicopter-borne assault and air strikes were a defensive action to disrupt Hezbollah arms supplies.
The Lebanese army has deployed along the Syrian border and has moved deep into the shattered south as the Israelis leave. Witnesses saw about 15 Lebanese tanks roll into the southern port of Tyre — the first to arrive since the truce took hold.
Unifil said the Israeli army has pulled out of areas around the southern village of Beit Yahoun, and Lebanese soldiers will take their place later in the day.
The UN has vowed to move 3 500 extra troops to the south by September 2, but has received few firm offers of help.
The Israeli government came under further fire at home for its handling of the war, which failed to destroy Hezbollah.
Israeli reservists published a scathing open letter in which they accused government leaders and top army officers of inept handling of the war.
In addition, Israeli Brigadier General Yossi Heiman said the military had been ”guilty of the sin of arrogance” in its approach to the battle.
Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and senior Olmert aides met two UN envoys to discuss Israel’s continued air and sea embargo of Lebanon and the vexed issue of prisoner exchange, as well as Israel’s commando raid in the Bekaa Valley.
In a sign that life is gradually returning to normal in Beirut, the Lebanese stock exchange lifted restrictions brought in during the war to limit price volatility. Trade was brisk and the benchmark BLOM Stock Index rose 5,8%.
The governor of Lebanon’s central bank said Saudi Arabia had dedicated $500-million to the rebuilding of Lebanon, Kuwait had pledged $300-million and Qatar has offered to rebuild the southern city of Bint Jbeil, hit hard by Israeli air strikes.
”The damage to Lebanon is huge,” governor Riad Salameh told Reuters. ”Our rate of growth, which was expected to be about 5%, will drop to zero or become negative.”
The emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, arrived in Beirut and discussed potential aid. He was the first head of state to visit Lebanon since the start of war. — Reuters