France, Lebanon to deploy to border with Israel

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert meets with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice at his Jerusalem residence Saturday night; Rice reveals initial plans for international peacekeeping force: France, Lebanese army to take part, and will also guard Syria-Lebanon border. Leaders agree diplomatic agreement dependant on release of kidnapped soldiers

The French and Lebanese armies will take part in the multinational peacekeeping force expected to take position along the southern Lebanese border, it was revealed following a meeting between US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in Jerusalem.

The two met at the Prime Minister’s official residence in Jerusalem late Saturday night for nearly two hours, most of which was spent in one-on-one talks.

US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs C. David Welch, National Security Council Director for Near East and North African Affairs Elliot Abrams on the American side and Olmert’s chief-of-staff Dr. Yoram Turbovitz, his diplomatic advisor Shalom Turgeman, and his military adviser Maj.-Gen. Gadi Shamni for the Israeli side also joined in for some of the talks.

The meeting was reportedly held in a cordial atmosphere, and between the diplomatic deliberations, Rice and Olmert took dinner together. Olmert’s office said that during the entire meeting, Rice did not at all press the issue of a ceasefire .

The two leaders agreed that any diplomatic arrangement to end the fighting would be dependent on the release of kidnapped IDF soldiers Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev .

Regarding the establishment of a multinational peacekeeping force, the conditions for its establishment, the length of its mandate and its responsibilities were not yet finalized, although Rice expressed optimism that it would be set up very soon.

Olmert and Rice did not discuss the size of multinational peacekeeping force to be established. Likewise, the question of which countries, other than France and Lebanon, would partake in the force was not confronted.

However, Rice did note that the Lebanese and French armies would deploy along the Syrian-Lebanese border to the east, as well as along the southern border with Israel.

The two also did not discuss Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora’s proposal for a ceasefire. However, Rice did request of the prime minister that Israel avoid striking Lebanese infrastructure.

The Prime Minister’s Bureau noted that Rice expressed her appreciation to Israel for its actions towards easing the humanitarian crisis for Lebanese citizens by opening channels for the transport of aid.

According to Rice, Israel’s cooperation in enabling aid delivery via the Beirut airport, seaports and by land greatly contributed to the US’s stance during the Rome summit last week in which representatives from 15 nations convened to brainstorm solutions for the Israel-Lebanon crisis.

AP report:

AP: U.N. Council Weighs Mideast Cease-Fire

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Today: July 29, 2006 at 20:0:5 PDT

AP: U.N. Council Weighs Mideast Cease-Fire

By NICK WADHAMS
ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW YORK (AP) - A draft resolution circulating Saturday among U.N. Security Council members would call for an immediate halt to fighting between Israel and Hezbollah and seek a wide new buffer zone in south Lebanon monitored by international forces and the Lebanese army.

The proposal, which aims to promote lasting peace between Lebanon and Israel, was sent quietly by France to the other 14 members of the council ahead of a possible meeting of foreign ministers in New York to discuss Lebanon sometime next week. A copy of the draft was obtained by The Associated Press.

The proposal stresses the need "to create the conditions for a permanent cease-fire and a lasting solution to the current crisis between Israel and Lebanon." It emphasizes the need to end the escalating violence, but also "to address urgently the root causes that have given rise to the current crisis.

The conditions for a permanent cease-fire include a buffer zone stretching from the Blue Line - the U.N.-demarcated boundary that Israel withdrew behind in 2000 - to the Litani River, which was the northern border of Israel's occupation of Lebanon in 1982.

The buffer zone would be "free of any armed personnel, assets and weapons other than those of the Lebanese armed and security forces and of U.N.-mandated international forces," the draft says.

The document, which is likely to see significant changes before adoption, is the answer to the call made Friday by President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair for a U.N. resolution that would lay the groundwork for peace in Lebanon and deploy an international force there.

It starts by calling for an immediate halt to fighting that began almost three weeks ago and has killed more than 500 people.

French diplomats refused to discuss the proposal, saying it had not been made public yet. Benjamin Chang, a spokesman for the U.S. Mission to the U.N., said the Americans had only just received the draft and were still studying it.

Still, the United States has so far refused to call for an immediate halt to the hostilities, and may oppose any demands for that.

According to the resolution, other conditions for peace include the release of the two Israeli soldiers whose abduction by Hezbollah sparked Israel's devastating military campaign; and the implementation of Security Council resolution 1559, which demanded Hezbollah be disarmed and Lebanon extend its control to its southern border with Israel, where Hezbollah has de-facto control.

Lebanon must also firm up its border "especially in those areas where the border is disputed or uncertain, including in the Chebaa farms area."

Israel seized the Chebaa Farms area in the 1967 war and still occupies it. Lebanon claims the area but the United Nations determined that it is Syrian, and Syria and Israel should negotiate its fate. Hezbollah points to the Chebaa Farms to claim that Israeli forces still occupy Lebanon.

Once hostilities are stopped, the resolution would call on Lebanon to deploy troops to the south along the Blue Line with Israel, and charge U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan to work with key regional and international actors to secure agreement from Lebanon and Israel for a lasting political solution.

The current U.N. force in Lebanon, known by its acronym UNIFIL, would monitor implementation of the resolution for now. But those troops would be replaced by a more powerful international force to keep the peace.

The draft largely echoes ideas that France had circulated last week. But it is the first time those ideas have been put into a draft resolution and suggest a growing impetus toward action after three weeks in which the Security Council has not responded to the Lebanon crisis.

According to the draft, the new peacekeeping force would be granted authority under the powerful Chapter 7 of the U.N. Charter, which gives U.N.-backed troops a broader mandate to respond to attacks.

Israel has said so far that it would not allow U.N. troops. Instead, it would likely seek NATO forces, possibly operating under such a U.N. mandate.

The resolution spells out a specific sequence of steps to bring peace to Lebanon. First, Annan would step up efforts to secure an agreement from Lebanon and Israel for a lasting solution based on the conditions for peace.

As that occurs, Israel and Hezbollah would be asked to refrain from any action that might jeopardize a halt in fighting or prevent civilians from receiving humanitarian aid.

Once fighting stops, UNIFIL would then be asked to monitor the truce and ensure humanitarian access to civilians. Lebanon, in the meantime would send forces to the south along the Blue Line.

Only after all that occurs, and Israel and Lebanon have agreed to the political framework, the peacekeepers would be deployed.

Lastly, the resolution would ask the international community to give financial and humanitarian support to Lebanon urgently.

Rice has signaled that any ceasefire agreement must include the unconditional release of captive IDF soldiers being held by terrorists.

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http://www.arutzsheva.net/news.php3?id=108659
PM Olmert Agrees to a Multinational Force Along Northern Border
05:20 Jul 30, '06 / 5 Av 5766
by Yechiel Spira

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has agreed to a US plan calling for the deployment of an international peacekeeping force along Israel’s border.

Following an almost two-hour meeting in his Jerusalem residence with US Secretary of State Dr. Condoleezza Rice on Saturday night, the prime minister agreed to the US plan, calling for the deployment of a multinational force between Israel and Lebanon and Syria. It was announced that France and Lebanon would take part in the force, but other details have yet to be decided upon.

According to reports following the high-level meeting, the size of the force and the timing for such a move must still be agreed upon, but Olmert has given his approval to the idea of such a force being positioned between Israel and Hizbullah in southern Lebanon.

Secretary Rice will leave for Lebanon on Sunday, and she will return to Israel following talks with officials in Beirut as she continues her shuttle diplomacy mission in the hope of actualizing a ceasefire.

The US-brokered plan includes yet another land withdrawal by Israel – stipulating the international “stabilization force” will position itself between Israel and southern Lebanon in exchange for an Israeli retreat from the Har Dov area, also known as Shab’a Farm. The area today has a vital strategic significance, permitting IDF troops to man outposts along the border area.

The prime minister has indicated a willingness to consider an additional land withdrawal. This despite Israel’s compliance with the demands of the international community in its May 2000 withdrawal from southern Lebanon, a move that even earned the recognition of the United Nations. Nevertheless, Olmert signaled a possible willingness to such the move in line with Lebanese demands, despite the fact that Har Dov was liberated from Syrian occupation, not Lebanon.

The deployment of the international stabilization force will reportedly assist Lebanese army officials in complying with UN Resolution 1559, calling for the deployment of the Lebanese army in southern Lebanon and disarming Hizbullah, a move intended to distance Hizbullah from Israel’s border while cutting off Hizbullah’s weapons supply train from Iran and Syria.

While Secretary Rice did not call upon Olmert to stop the military offensive in Lebanon at this time, French President Jacques Chirac released a statement that he would not authorize the deployment of his troops until such an event takes place, namely Israel halting military attacks against targets in Lebanon.

Reports quoting senior Defense Ministry officials state that the Americans will permit the ongoing Israeli offensive against Hizbullah to continue for another 7-10 days, but no such official statement has been released.

France on the other hand is preparing to turn to the UN Security Council, demanding an immediate Israeli ceasefire, expressing a willingness to deploy its forces but making such a move contingent on Israel halting military operations in Lebanon.

The French resolution was distributed to council members over the weekend, calling for a stabilization force numbering some 20,000 troops.

UN Secretary-General Kofi Anan on Monday will head a session discussing potential force members, which is expected to include European Union nations as well as Turkey.

In a weekend interview with the BBC, British Prime Minister Tony Blair expressed optimism, stating he believes an agreement on the international force can be reached in a number of days, and agreement that would also lead to a ceasefire by Israel.

Blair stated that an agreement including the governments of Israel and Lebanon could be forthcoming, stating such a move would end the fighting and clear the path for the multinational force.

Israel’s military offensive intended to disarm and distance the Hizbullah threat was launched following a multi-pronged Hizbullah attack on July 12 which left a number of soldiers dead and resulted in two IDF soldiers falling captive to the terrorists. Since the start of the ongoing warfare, Hizbullah has fired missiles into Israeli civilian population centers, striking the entire northern area and threatening to direct longer-range rockets into the Greater Tel Aviv area. Last week, longer-range missiles landed in Afula.

Rice has signaled that any ceasefire agreement must include the unconditional release of captive IDF soldiers being held by terrorists. A third IDF soldier was abducted during a terror attack in the Kerem Shalom area near Gaza in June. He was taken captive by Hamas terrorists.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has released statements remaining firm in his demands for the immediate and unconditional release of the three as a prerequisite to an Israeli agreement to halt military offensives in Lebanon and Gaza.

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