UN deputy issues warning over peacekeeper deaths

LONDON, July 29 (Reuters) The task of recruiting peacekeepers for a multinational force in Lebanon has been made harder by Washington's failure to condemn the killing of four UN observers, the deputy secretary-general said today.

Mark Malloch Brown told BBC Radio he had real concerns about the deaths on Tuesday of four unarmed military observers during an Israeli air raid in south Lebanon.

In response to the deaths, the UN Security Council adopted a statement expressing shock and dismay. But the reaction was much weaker than an original statement which was objected to, by the United States.

The United States did not want Israel to be directly or indirectly blamed for the attack.

''Peacekeeping is a dangerous business and we depend on the support of the international community and, therefore, when people die, it's not just a simple accident to be brushed away,'' Malloch said.

''Washington is going to have to think hard about this.

''If it now wants to put other peacekeepers, a much larger number, in danger's way in southern Lebanon, they're going to have to understand that those countries that contribute these peacekeepers expect a much less equivocal support from the Security Council.

''They want to know that the full political weight of the Security Council and its members is behind them if their nationals are put in danger.

''The lack of that kind of clear Security Council statement has consequences for next week's recruiting effort of a new force.'' US President George W Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair called for a multinational force for Lebanon to be formed quickly after a meeting in Washington yesterday.

''I think there is support (within the UN) for a peacekeeping force, a multinational robust force which would go in after hostilities have ended and keep the peace,'' Malloch Brown said.

''What must not happen is an expectation that it can complete the business that Israel has begun and that it could itself forcefully disarm Hizbollah. That's not going to happen.'' Israel has apologised over the four deaths and called the incident a mistake. UN officials said they repeatedly asked Israel to stop bombing near the post in the hours before it was destroyed.

REUTERS LL KP1738