France Throws U.N Peacekeeping Plans Into Disarray
France Throws U.N Peacekeeping Plans Into Disarray
Chirac Rebuffs Pleas to Make Major Contribution to Mission
By Colum Lynch
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, August 17, 2006; 3:06 PM
UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 17 -- France has rebuffed U.N. pleas to make a major contribution to a peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon, setting back international efforts to send a credible military force to the region to police a cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah, according to U.N. and French officials.
French President Jacques Chirac instead committed Thursday to send a relatively small military engineering company of 200 soldiers to serve in a reinforced U.N. peacekeeping mission that is expected to grow to 15,000 strong and that will help Lebanon police a demilitarized zone in southern Lebanon. He also said that a force of 1,700 French troops and crew stationed in ships off the coast of Lebanon could be sent in to help the U.N. force during a crisis.
The French decision, which was first reported today in the Paris daily Le Monde, has thrown U.N. military planning into disarray on the eve of a major international meeting this afternoon of potential contributors to a U.N. force. It also seriously complicates U.N. efforts to get a vanguard force of peacekeepers from powerful European countries within the next two weeks.
Senior U.N. peacekeeping officials said they had hoped that a commitment to have French troops form the "backbone" of the U.N. peacekeeping mission would spur other countries to join.
U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan called Chirac today to see if he would change his mind. Following the meeting, Chirac's office released a statement indicating he had not yielded. He said that France would only double its contribution to the U.N. force, which is headed by a French general, and hoped to continue commanding the mission.
France did little to dampen expectations that it would play a far more ambitious peacekeeping role as it joined the United States in fashioning agreement on a resolution authorizing the force. At a critical stage in talks, President Chirac broke with the United States and backed Lebanese demands that the new force be placed under the command of the United Nations. The United State ultimately yielded to the French position.
France's Defense Minister Michèle Alliot-Marie was scheduled on Wednesday in a televised address to announce France's decision to commit to a modest contribution to U.N. force and to begin talks with other European officials about the possibility of setting up a European rapid reaction force. But U.N. officials pleaded with France to hold back on the announcement, fearing it would dissuade other countries from agreeing to join the mission.
France has been on a confrontation course with Syria and Iran for more than two years. Chirac and President Bush have led U.N. efforts to force Syria to withdraw from Lebanon. France is also joining the United States, Britain and Germany in threatening sanctions against Iran for ignoring international calls to halt its uranium enrichment.
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Chirac Rebuffs Pleas to Make Major Contribution to Mission
By Colum Lynch
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, August 17, 2006; 3:06 PM
UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 17 -- France has rebuffed U.N. pleas to make a major contribution to a peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon, setting back international efforts to send a credible military force to the region to police a cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah, according to U.N. and French officials.
French President Jacques Chirac instead committed Thursday to send a relatively small military engineering company of 200 soldiers to serve in a reinforced U.N. peacekeeping mission that is expected to grow to 15,000 strong and that will help Lebanon police a demilitarized zone in southern Lebanon. He also said that a force of 1,700 French troops and crew stationed in ships off the coast of Lebanon could be sent in to help the U.N. force during a crisis.
The French decision, which was first reported today in the Paris daily Le Monde, has thrown U.N. military planning into disarray on the eve of a major international meeting this afternoon of potential contributors to a U.N. force. It also seriously complicates U.N. efforts to get a vanguard force of peacekeepers from powerful European countries within the next two weeks.
Senior U.N. peacekeeping officials said they had hoped that a commitment to have French troops form the "backbone" of the U.N. peacekeeping mission would spur other countries to join.
U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan called Chirac today to see if he would change his mind. Following the meeting, Chirac's office released a statement indicating he had not yielded. He said that France would only double its contribution to the U.N. force, which is headed by a French general, and hoped to continue commanding the mission.
France did little to dampen expectations that it would play a far more ambitious peacekeeping role as it joined the United States in fashioning agreement on a resolution authorizing the force. At a critical stage in talks, President Chirac broke with the United States and backed Lebanese demands that the new force be placed under the command of the United Nations. The United State ultimately yielded to the French position.
France's Defense Minister Michèle Alliot-Marie was scheduled on Wednesday in a televised address to announce France's decision to commit to a modest contribution to U.N. force and to begin talks with other European officials about the possibility of setting up a European rapid reaction force. But U.N. officials pleaded with France to hold back on the announcement, fearing it would dissuade other countries from agreeing to join the mission.
France has been on a confrontation course with Syria and Iran for more than two years. Chirac and President Bush have led U.N. efforts to force Syria to withdraw from Lebanon. France is also joining the United States, Britain and Germany in threatening sanctions against Iran for ignoring international calls to halt its uranium enrichment.
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