Little Pressure on Hezbollah to Disarm

AP ^ | 9/27/6 | HAMZA HENDAWI and HENRY MEYER

[SmithL]

MARJAYOUN, Lebanon -- Six weeks after the end of the Lebanon war, the militant Hezbollah group is facing little on-the-ground pressure to give up its weapons and disarm — despite a U.N. cease-fire resolution demanding just that.

The leaders of a U.N. peacekeeping force in south Lebanon say the job is not theirs. And Lebanon's ill-equipped army, some of whose soldiers wear tin-pot helmets and carry outdated M-16 rifles, shows no signs of diving into a confrontation with battle-hardened Hezbollah fighters.

For now, all sides say it's likely full disarmament will happen only in the future as part of a political solution — despite the U.N. resolution that ended the 34-day war on Aug. 14 and required disarmament.

The commanders of the U.N. force say that under the resolution, their job is merely to assist the Lebanese army in regaining control of southern Lebanon and to ensure the area cannot be used for launching rocket attacks into northern Israel.

Meanwhile, Lebanese security officials say the army's mission in the south is based on what they call an "understanding" with Hezbollah that the army will not search for and seize weapons, but only confiscate those shown in public.

At one Lebanese military checkpoint near the town of Marjayoun, some eight miles from the Israeli border, soldiers recently waved most cars through — although some were stopped so identity papers and registration documents could be checked.

The Lebanese government, which for years allowed Hezbollah to run a "state within a state" in the south, has long argued that disarming the militants could be done only through agreement among the country's major political groups.

Israel says the resolution makes clear that Hezbollah must be disarmed south of the Litani River.

[MikeA]

I must be Ms. Cleo since I predicted this...we all did.

[Shermy]

Israel had the chance to do this and punted. Only took territory at the end because the UN wouldn't go in otherwise.

The whole world except for Syria and Iran and British lefties tacitly approved. Israel amazingly got two (2) Saudi fatwas in tacit support. Olmert constructed failure out of his self-loathing, fear of re-occupation, and general wishy-washyness.

[ImpBill]

Did anyone really think there would be?

[SJackson]

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