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Italy provides up to 3,000 troops to UN force

Posted on: Tuesday, 22 August 2006, 02:52 CDT

By Nadim Ladki

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Italy said on Tuesday it would contribute 2,000 to 3,000 troops, about one third of the European contribution, to a U.N. force for Lebanon provided Israel did not violate the truce.

Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema said Italians would be supported by Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium and other nations in the force which Italy has offered to lead.

"In the end our troops, between 2,000 and 3,000, will represent about a third of the total sent from Europe," D'Alema told the newspaper La Repubblica in an interview.

"From Israel, we expect a renewed effort, this time truly binding, to respect the ceasefire," D'Alema said. "It's fair to expect that Hizbollah put down their weapons, but we cannot send our troops to Lebanon if the (Israeli) army keeps shooting."

The U.N.-backed truce has been jolted by an Israeli commando raid in eastern Lebanon's Bekaa Valley on Saturday which the United Nations described as a violation.

European Union countries are meeting on Wednesday to discuss concerns about clear rules of engagement for the force. European contingents are considered vital if the United Nations is to get an advance party of 3,500 troops on the ground by September 2.

The U.N. Security Council resolution that led to a fragile truce on August 14 to end the 34-day war called for 15,000 U.N. troops to join a similar number of Lebanese army troops that are already deploying in the south.

Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi said on Monday he had told U.N. chief Kofi Annan his country was willing to command the force. He said Annan would make a decision by this weekend.

The Beirut government has welcomed Italy's offer of 2,000 troops, the biggest commitment any country has yet made. Israel has said it would be happy if Italy led the force.

According to a source close to Prodi, Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora told his Italian counterpart on Monday that there was the "unanimous backing" of the Lebanese cabinet for Italy to lead the U.N. force. Hizbollah has two ministers.

Italy's right-wing opposition warned the deployment could prove a "kamikaze" mission.

France had been tipped to take command but offered just 200 extra troops. Turkey, Spain and other countries are still hesitating.

EUROPEAN JITTERS

President Bush, showing signs of impatience, called for the urgent dispatch of the U.N. peacekeepers.

"The international community must now designate the leadership of this international force, give it robust rules of engagement and deploy it as quickly as possible to secure the peace," Bush told a news conference in Washington on Monday.

During the war, the United States did not call for an immediate ceasefire, saying political conditions must be put in place to ensure any peace was lasting -- code words for the removal of any Hizbollah threat to Israel.

At the United Nations, Washington's U.N. ambassador John Bolton said his country planned a new U.N. Security Council resolution on disarming Hizbollah, but that this was a separate issue from the quick dispatch of U.N. troops to Lebanon.

Hizbollah has accepted the deployment of U.N. and Lebanese troops in its south Lebanese stronghold, but has not promised to leave the area or to dismantle its arsenal of rockets.

Bush also announced on Monday a $230 million aid package to Lebanon that includes 25,000 tonnes of wheat.

The Lebanese government estimates that Israeli bombing caused $3.6 billion of physical damage during the war.

Despite the truce, Israel's army said its troops had shot and hit three gunmen in the south on Monday. It said there was no return fire. Hizbollah said none of its men had been killed.

Nearly 1,200 people in Lebanon and 157 Israelis were killed during the war that erupted after Hizbollah guerrillas captured two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border raid on July 12.

The Lebanese army has deployed along the Syrian border and has moved deep into the shattered south. Israel says its troops will not pull out fully until extra U.N. forces arrive.

Despite Lebanon's efforts, Israel is maintaining air and sea restrictions on Lebanon and keeping a close watch on its border with Syria in a bid to prevent Hizbollah from rearming.

Israeli tanks entered the eastern Gaza Strip on Tuesday and troops clashed with Palestinian fighters there, wounding at least three militants, witnesses and Palestinian sources said.

(Additional reporting by Jerusalem and Rome bureaux)

Source: REUTERS

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