Familiar task for UN troops in Lebanon

By Ian Pannell
BBC News, southern Lebanon

It was not the best of beginnings.

"The Italian deployment will begin at 0900," said the United Nations.

NOW: Italian soldiers arrive to bolster the UN force in Lebanon

But by midday it became apparent that the boys from Brindisi, the pride of the San Marco and Lagunari Regiments, would take a little longer than planned to get all their military feet onto Lebanese soil.

The sea was high, the waves rolled across the Mediterranean, bursting onto the sands of the Rest House beach in Tyre, making any large-scale landing too difficult.

There were a few bronzed frogmen, a couple of officers in crisp white uniforms, and a handful of camouflaged amphibious landing craft. It was enough stimulation to keep the cameras rolling but the D-Day Landings it was not.

However, this is a force that first came to Lebanon nearly 30 years as a temporary, stop-gap force. Unifil stands for the United Nations Interim Force In Lebanon. So, a "piccolo ritardo" - small delay - is unlikely to make much of a dent.

The test for the international community is how to make this new invigorated force different and successful

Unifil was mandated in March 1978. It is now September 2006 and there has been nothing 'interim' about its work.

The force was established under UN Security Council Resolution 455. It bears a striking similarity to the latest resolution, 1701, that has brought the Italian soldiers and sailors to these shores.

Revisiting UN resolutions

A simple comparison lays bare the continuing challenges for both the UN and Lebanon. Both resolutions voice the concern of the international community and call for borders and jurisdiction to be respected by all parties:

Resolution 425 (March 1978) calls for "strict respect for the territorial integrity, sovereignty and political independence of Lebanon within its internationally recognised boundaries".

THEN: In 1978, the mission was much the same

Resolution 1701 (August 2006) calls for "support for the territorial integrity, sovereignty and political independence of Lebanon within its internationally recognised border".

Then, as now, Israel is called upon to act:

Resolution 425 (March 1978) "calls upon Israel immediately to cease its military action against Lebanese territorial integrity and withdraw forthwith its forces from all Lebanese territory".

Resolution 1701 (August 2006) "calls for... the immediate cessation by Israel of all offensive military operations" and "to withdraw all of its forces from southern Lebanon".

And finally, it is decided, that the UN should send troops to make all of the above possible:

Resolution 425 (March 1978): "A United Nations interim force for the purpose of confirming the withdrawal of Israeli forces... and assisting the Government in ensuring the return of its effective authority in the area".

Resolution 1701 (August 2006): "An increase in the force strength of Unifil [to]... monitor the cessation of hostilities...[and help]... the Government of Lebanon to... exercise its authority throughout the territory."

Power play

The test for the international community is how to make this new invigorated force different and successful. There will be some ambivalence about their arrival, in particular here in the south.

Those who oppose Hezbollah may welcome the UN force as a boost to the standing of the Lebanese army and government. But supporters of the Islamic group will be sensitive to any attempt to weaken or disarm it.

The problem is a question of power - in whose hands it really lies. Unless that can be resolved, primarily by the Lebanese themselves, then the new recruits to the Unifil force are unlikely to be returning home soon.