Israel wants new force to back Lebanese deployment

Ehud Olmert

JERUSALEM - Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has called Beirut's decision to send 15,000 troops to south Lebanon an interesting step, raising diplomatic hopes even as Israel considered expanding its offensive.

Israel wants a strong international force to join the Lebanese troops before it would agree to withdraw from Lebanese soil, a senior Israeli official said.

Olmert urged Western powers to step up discussions on the make-up of the proposed force and said his security cabinet would meet on Wednesday to consider moving Israeli troops deeper into southern Lebanon to push back Hizbollah guerrillas.

Western diplomats said Monday's unanimous decision by the Lebanese government, which includes two Hizbollah ministers, could mark a turning point in negotiations and lead to changes in a draft UN Security Council resolution seeking to end four weeks of fighting between Israel and Hizbollah.

Lebanon has said it was unhappy with the initial US-French draft, demanding it include a call for the immediate withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon.

Israel wants the revised resolution to make clear that the international force has the mandate and military capacity to keep Hizbollah from moving back into southern Lebanon.

"I heard about the Lebanese government decision yesterday to deploy 15,000 Lebanese army soldiers," Olmert told a news conference. "This decision is an interesting step which we have to study and examine and look at all the implications -- to see to what degree it is practical and in what time frame."

Olmert said Israel would "like to see the Lebanese army" deployed in the south of Lebanon along with "strong military support that would come from other countries".

"The exact make-up of this (international force) is something which needs to be discussed rapidly," Olmert said. "It will not be a force of inspectors but rather a force of combat units that can be effective."

A senior Israeli official called the Lebanese decision "a positive first step" but said proposals to expand the existing UN force in south Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, were unacceptable because it was seen as weak by Israel.

"The question is whether this (Lebanese) force will be escorted by UNIFIL, which is an incompetent force, or whether this Lebanese force is supported by a strong stabilisation force and then Hizbollah is incapable of penetrating back with arms," the official said.

"The Lebanese army, in itself, is not capable of obtaining the goals," the official told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Western diplomats said it was unclear if Hizbollah would agree to the deployment of an international force with an enforcement mandate and sufficient firepower.

"It's better than it was but there is still a big gap there," one diplomat said of prospects for a deal.

The Lebanese government said the army was willing to seek the help of a boosted UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon. However, it did not explicitly say whether Hizbollah would pull out of border areas.

The south of the country has been under the virtual control of Hizbollah guerrillas. They say they will cease fire only once all Israeli soldiers leave Lebanese land.

Israeli Defence Minister Amir Peretz has ordered the army to prepare for a possible move to the Litani River, some 20km inside Lebanon, to push back Hizbollah rocket launchers.

About 10,000 Israeli troops are already battling Hizbollah fighters in south Lebanon.

"The faster we can leave south Lebanon, the happier we will be," Olmert said.

- REUTERS