New rules of engagement for UN troops in Lebanon permit soldiers to shoot in self-defense, use force to protect civilians and resist armed attempts to interfere with their duties, a UN document says.
The 21 pages of rules adhere to the mandate laid down by the UN Security Council in an August 11 resolution and drafted by France and the United States. That did not call on the UN force, known as UNIFIL, to carry out large-scale disarmament of Hizbullah guerrillas in a southern Lebanon buffer zone.
Vijay Nambiar, a special adviser to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan
The rules, given to potential troop contributors last week for approval, have been generally accepted, said Vijay Nambiar, a special adviser to Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
"We have not received any major requests for any change," Mr Nambiar told a news conference in Jerusalem last night, "We assume that we will be able to finalize them imminently."
In an attempt to enforce a fragile cease-fire, the United Nations wants 3,500 new peacekeepers in Lebanon by September 2 and up to 15,000 there by November, including the 2,000 on the ground now in UNIFIL.
The current UNIFIL, the UN Interim Force in Lebanon, established in 1978, also had the right to self-defense but was mainly an observer mission.
Specifically, the new rules of engagement, marked "UN Restricted," permit the right of self-defense and "preemptive self-defense" against an anticipated attack. But in many cases, a senior officer has to approve force if UN troops are not under attack.
The soldiers can also use force against anyone preventing UNIFIL from carrying out its duties and to ensure the security and freedom of movement of UN personnel and humanitarian workers and to protect civilians under imminent threat, the rules say.
The use of force, "including deadly force," is also authorized to defend the Lebanese armed forces that a UN unit may be assigned to accompany, providing the threatening group or person is armed.
Force must be commensurate with the level of the threat. But the level of response may have to be higher in order to minimize UN or civilian casualties, the rules say.
The mandate, approved by the Security Council on August 11, calls on UNIFIL to assist the Lebanese armed forces in establishing a buffer zone free of unauthorized weapons.