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The current mission to the Middle East by the UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan is set to prepare the ground for the deployment of a UN peace-keeping force in Lebanon and aims at underpinning the UN-brokered truce between Israel and Hezbollah. Our observer Konstantin Garibov comments.
Four thousand peace-keepers from EU countries are to arrive in Southern Lebanon this week to help Lebanese army guarantee security and oversee Israel’s withdrawal. And since the Security Council resolution doesn’t specify on the handover procedure, Mr.Annan will elaborate on it in Lebanon and Israel.
Meanwhile, it’s clear that as the UN peace-keepers will have nothing to do with Hezbollah’s disarmament, Mr.Annan’s talks in Damascus and Tehran acquire a particular importance. Success at the talks will appease Hezbollah and will guarantee a lasting, not fragile, ceasefire in Southern Lebanon.
Mr.Annan’s talks with Turkey promise to be as sensitive. The president of Turkey unexpectedly declined to send five thousand peace-keepers to Lebanon as agreed before on the grounds that the Security Council should first specify the functions of a peace-keeping force in a conflict zone.
Many countries, including Germany, Britain, Greece and Sweden, abstain from sending ground reinforcements to Southern Lebanon for fear of random armed clashes. The Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said Russia has yet to pass a decision on the issue too. But should such a decision be passed, Russia has a highly qualified peace-keeping brigade to be dispatched to the Israeli-Lebanese conflict zone. Anatoly Tsyganok is the head of the Military Forecast Center.
The peace-keeping brigade of the Volga-Urals Military District is made up of contract servicemen with a good command of foreign languages and years of special training behind them, he says. The peace-keepers are knowledgeable about patrolling skills and are well-trained in passing through minefields, establishing contacts with the locals and rendering assistance at checkpoints. At least 300 or 400 peace-keepers could well be dispatched.
Even though Russia is unable so far to pass a political decision on the issue, it doesn’t rule out the possibility of sending experts to assist in the restoration of destroyed infrastructure in Lebanon.
08/28/2006 |