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EU to meet on Lebanon force

Updated: 22/Aug/2006 16:45

Italian Prime minister Romano Prodi (L) and his foreign minister Massimo D'Alema

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BRUSSELS/ROME (EJP)--- Italy called Tuesday for an urgent meeting of EU foreign ministers to discuss the situation in the south of Lebanon where Israeli forces are still operating.

The Italian prime minister declared his country’s readiness to lead the UN peacekeeping force in the region but said he wanted a “precise mandate.”

"We need more clarity, a precise mandate, precise contents and a very clear definition of the alliances," Prime minister Romano Prodi was quoted by Italian media as saying.

The EU is expected to send up to 9,000 soldiers to strengthen the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil), Italian foreign minister Massimo D’Alema said while calling for an urgent meeting of EU foreign ministers to discuss the "modalities and mandate" of the European mission in the Middle East.

At France’s request, the EU Finnish presidency has scheduled a meeting of the 25 EU representatives (ambassadors) on Wednesday in Brussels but sources in Brussels said Tuesday that the 25-member union’s foreign ministers could meet as early as Friday.

Officials of the defence ministries will also attend Wednesday’s meeting.

Italian lead

Italy would be sending between 2,000 and 3,000 troops as part of the EU mission, or "a third of the total number of European soldiers," D’Alema was quoted as saying in La Repubblica newspaper.

He said that Italy will not be able to send troops if Israel "keeps shooting". "From Israel we expect a renewed and this time binding commitment that they will respect the ceasefire.

"It is right to expect Hezbollah to lay down their arms but we cannot send our troops to Lebanon if the (Israeli) army keeps shooting" he added.

Fears that Italy could be left alone in its contribution to the forces in southern Lebanon were unfounded, the minister added.

"There will be the Spanish who are giving us a big hand politically. There will be countries from the Nordic zone, from Belgium to Holland, which are real armies and certainly not Swiss Guards (the Pope’s private army).

“There will be the Germans who will commit financial resources and military equipment and even men, with specialist squads who will help the Lebanese army in guarding the seven border crossings with Syria" D’Alema said.

15,000 troops in total

UN Security Council resolution 1701, adopted on 11 August, which ended hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, called for the deployment of 15,000 troops to monitor the ceasefire along with 15,000 Lebanese troops. Unifil now has 2,000 troops.

Several EU governments however are still reluctant to firmly commit themselves until the rules of engagement are clear.

“All the countries are saying what Germany is saying — we need the right rules for
the deployment,” said German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

France, which has angered the UN by only agreeing to send a further 200 soldiers to the area when a commitment of up to 3,500 had been expected, on Sunday called for an extraordinary EU meeting on the issue.

"We ask that European solidarity is expressed as soon as possible about Lebanon", French foreign minister Philippe Douste-Blazy told a French radio.

History has a great deal to do with the qualms over sending troops. France and Belgium have bad memories of many past peacekeeping missions in Bosnia and Rwanda and are hesitant to commit troops without strong guidelines over when they would have the right to shoot and defend themselves.

Germany has different concerns. Defence Minister Franz Josef Jung said his country will not offer troops to be stationed near Israel’s border because of Germany’s Nazi-era past.