UN reschedules meeting on new force in Lebanon

United Nations, Aug 1: The United Nations postponed until at least Thursday a meeting called by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan to begin planning a new peacekeeping force for Lebanon.

UN officials said the gathering of potential troop-contributing countries, which had been scheduled yesterday afternoon, was delayed because the force-planning process was getting ahead of West Asia diplomacy.

''Like any force that comes after a conflict, that force will be there to implement whatever has been agreed among the actors,'' UN peacekeeping chief Jean-Marie Guehenno told reporters. ''You cannot discuss the mandate in isolation of the political process, which in a way underpins the mandate.'' Guehenno, himself, is expected to chair the meeting, tentatively scheduled on Thursday, a senior UN official said.

Annan plans a trip to Haiti tomorrow for two or three days to visit the UN mission there, the official added.

Separately, the council yesterday unanimously approved a 30-day extension of the mandate of the existing peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon, the 2,000-strong UN Interim Force in Lebanon, known an UNIFIL, even though the force has been largely ineffectual in stopping violence.

Council members said the short-term extension would give them more time to work on the outlines of a new force.

UNIFIL has been in the area since 1978 but has been powerless to prevent cross-border violence between Israeli forces and Hizbollah.

Annan had announced the meeting of potential troop-contributing countries last Friday, saying it was time for the international community to step in.

Annan said the discussions would only be preliminary because the Security Council had not yet set out a mandate for the international force, defining the mission's goals and the troops' rules of engagement.

France, often named as the leader of such a mission, said a force could not be deployed while fighting continued and that Israel, Lebanon and Hizbollah militants had to agree first in principle on a permanent cease-fire.

The force would aim to implement a peace plan that has yet to be outlined by the 15-nation council. Only after the council has approved a mandate for the new force will countries actually decide whether they will participate.

Reuters

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