Middle East: Lebanese Troops Move In As Israelis Withdraw

Middle East: Lebanese Troops Move In As Israelis Withdraw

PRAGUE, August 17, 2006 (RFE/RL) -- Lebanese forces backed by tanks and armored vehicles today began deploying in the south of the country under the UN cease-fire plan that ended fighting between Israel and Hizballah.

The troops, carrying Lebanese flags, crossed the strategic Litani River at dawn, in a move which marks the extension of the Lebanese government's sovereignty over the whole country for the first time since 1969.

The deployment, approved on August 16 by the Lebanese cabinet, is seen as a major step in meeting demands that Hizballah militants be removed from Israel's northern frontier. However, it falls short of UN and Israeli insistence on the Shi'ite militia's disarmament.

'Hizballah-Free Zone'

Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev said Israel is keeping its commitments in the UN cease-fire resolution, but warned that it expects Lebanon to do the same.

The Lebanese government "must move its forces into south Lebanon and it must create there, in south Lebanon, a Hizballah-free zone," Regev said. "That's our expectation, that's in the resolution."

The Israeli military began handing over positions to the United Nations early today. The military said that two-thirds of the areas Israel holds have been transferred already.

Meanwhile, residents welcomed Lebanese troops in Marjayoun, a key town near the border that was briefly occupied by Israeli forces. The town is in a largely Christian area where Hizballah's Shi'ite Muslim fighters have little support.

Under the UN cease-fire agreement in effect since August 14, Israel agreed to transfer control of its positions in southern Lebanon to the currently 2,000-strong UN force known as UNIFIL, which would then turn them over to the Lebanese army.

The UN plan calls for the Lebanese army deployment to eventually number 15,000 soldiers and for it to be matched by an equally strong, expanded UNIFIL force. Together, these forces are to patrol the region between the Israeli border and the Litani River, which is situated some 30 kilometers from the frontier.

Clear Mandate Needed

France, meanwhile, has said it is willing to lead the expanded UN force in Lebanon. Defense Minister Michele Alliot-Marie told TV France2 that she hoped a large number of European and Muslim countries would contribute troops.

"What is also necessary is that a maximum number of European countries should participate in the enlarged UNIFIL," she said. "There also should be a maximum number of Muslim countries. "

Alliot-Marie also warned that the UN mission's success depends on it having a clear mandate. "When you send a force without its mission being clearly defined, without its resources being adapted and large enough, that can lead to a catastrophe, including for the soldiers we send," she said

The UN hopes that 3,500 international troops can reinforce the UN contingent already on the ground within 10 to 15 days. General Alain Pellegrini, the UNIFIL commander, said the first elements could arrive "at the start of next week."

However, there have been no firm commitments yet from any country.

The UN has said it is sending two envoys to Lebanon and Israel today to assess how the new cease-fire between Israel and Hizballah is being implemented.

"The Secretary-General [Kofi Annan] has decided to dispatch to Lebanon and Israel a high-level mission to talk to the parties involved, to secure the full implementation of [UN cease-fire] Resolution 1701," Annan's spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. "The mission will be comprised of Vijay Nambiar, the secretary-general's special adviser, and Terje Roed-Larsen [the top UN envoy on Syria-Lebanon issues]."

So far, Hizballah's reaction to the Lebanese troops' deployment has been calm. A Hizballah official today said the deployment does not pose a problem as long as no attempt is made to disarm the Shi'ite militant group.

Life Returns To Lebanon

Meanwhile, life appears to return timidly to normal in the regions affected by the monthlong conflict, with cars and trucks carrying thousands of displaced people flocking south on the fourth day of the cease-fire.

Furthermore, a Jordanian passenger airplane landed in Beirut today coming from Amman, marking the first commercial flight to Rafik Hariri International Airport since July 13, when Israel bombed the airport.

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Middle East: Lebanese Troops Move In As Israelis Withdraw