UN: The UN Security Council will this week consider a proposal to send an international force to calm the escalating conflict in Lebanon, despite a cool response from Israel and the US, write Denis Staunton in Washington and Honor Mahony in Brussels
EU foreign ministers yesterday expressed support for the initiative, which was announced by UN secretary general Kofi Annan and British prime minister Tony Blair in St Petersburg.
EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana briefed ministers in Brussels on the Middle East crisis and urged member states to participate in a peacekeeping force if the UN approves it.
"It is important that member states are ready to consider participating in this force. I am confident they are ready to take part if required. But at the moment this is just an idea," he said.
Finnish foreign minister Erkki Tuomioja, who chaired yesterday's meeting, said the initiative was now a matter for the UN Security Council.
"I think it is important that our member states have made clear that they are ready to favourably consider participating in any such mission," he said.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern said the Government would firmly back any UN move in the region and did not rule out the possibility of Irish soldiers being deployed, although he said "we are stretched".
Mr Blair said the UN force would aim to restore calm in Lebanon after days of Israeli bombardment and Hizbullah rocket attacks on Israel.
"It isn't going to stop now, unless we can create the situation where there can be a cessation. The only way that's going to happen is the deployment of an international force that can stop the bombardment," he said, at a joint press conference with Mr Annan.
Mr Annan said he had a team in Lebanon drawing up suggestions for how such a force might be deployed. That team will report back to the Security Council later this week.
Italian prime minister Romano Prodi said that such a force would put an extra 8,000 soldiers on the ground in the region, in addition to the existing 2,000-strong UN force in Lebanon.
"Italy is willing to contribute significantly if a peacekeeping force is decided upon," he said.
However, US ambassador to the UN John Bolton questioned whether such a force could disarm Hizbullah or cut off its Iranian and Syrian support.
Mr Bolton said the Security Council should take steps to strengthen the Lebanese government and military, not to "create a new multilateral institution".
In New York, UN officials speculated about a possible EU leadership role in the proposed force, although Israel could resist the idea of an EU-led force.
In their conclusions after yesterday's meeting, EU foreign ministers warned against "disproportionate" action by Israel, a phrase G8 leaders avoided in their weekend statement.
"The EU recognises Israel's legitimate right to self-defence, but it urges Israel to exercise utmost restraint and not to resort to disproportionate action," the ministers said.
Ireland's experience as UN peacekeepers in the Lebanon could prove valuable to a new international force but the Defence Forces are already committed to a number of overseas operations, notably in Liberia, where more than 400 Irish soldiers are deployed.
Mr Bush, in an informal conversation with Mr Blair in St Petersburg that was picked up by a nearby television microphone, voiced reservations about the UN initiative: "See, the irony is, what they need to do is get Syria to get Hizbullah to stop doing this shit and it's over."