Special report: Israel, Lebanon agree on ceasefire

    

Deputy UN Secretary-General, Mark Malloch Brown (L), speaks at the meeting held by the United Nations on Thursday, Aug. 17, 2006, which is for potential troop contributors who might participate in the proposed 15,000 UN peacekeeping force to be deployed to southern Lebanon under a Security Council resolution. (Xinhua/AFP Photo)  Photo Gallery >>>

UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- Deputy UN Secretary-General, Mark Malloch Brown, said on Thursday that the meeting among countries that could send troops to a UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon has made a reasonable start.

    "We are in business, but a lot of work needs to be done in the coming days to meet the deadline that we insisted on in this meeting, which is that we have 3,500 additional troops deployed within 10 days from now," he told reporters after the meeting.

    In an opening address, Brown said the situation in Lebanon is "tenuous" though the cessation of hostilities is still holding. "We must all act with great urgency to construct a lasting ceasefire from the current cessation of fighting."

    He said that as the Security Council resolution recognizes, there will be a strong, robust UN force, equipped and authorized to take "all necessary action" in its key tasks.

    The tasks include supporting the Lebanese army in humanitarian efforts, preventing the resumption of hostilities, and in establishing an area free of any armed personnel between the Blue Line, the UN-demarcated border, and the Litani River, some 20 km from the Israeli border.

    "This meeting today is a critical step on the path toward that stable, lasting peace. Realizing this hope requires not just boldness and vision from the parties to the conflict, it needs the tangible commitment and support of the international community as well," he stressed.

    He reiterated that the United Nations intents to deploy an advance contingent of at least 3,500 troops to augment the current 2,000-strong UNIFIL (UN Interim Force in Lebanon) within the next 10 days, and then to build up to 15,000, as authorized by the Security Council resolution 1701.

    When asked how many countries had committed troops, Brown said it is up to these countries to give the exact number. He noted that many countries have got problems with parliamentary or government approval before they can make the commitment.

    He said among the 23 speakers this afternoon, about a third of them made relatively firm commitments, another third made conditional commitments in which they felt there was still a major hurdle to cross in terms of reviewing the relevant documents. And a final third were much more cautious, offering support only in principle.

    Asked about his reaction to the news that France has offered only 200 troops to the UN force, Brown said the United Nations was a bit disappointed and had expected France to do more. But he said he was relieved that the French announcement did not deter others from coming forward with offers, despite his earlier fear that the announcement might have cast a shadow over the meeting.

    "That is why we have come out of the meeting relatively optimistic," he added.

    France and Italy said earlier that the peacekeeping mandate is not explicit enough, demanding the United Nations set clear rules of engagement for the troops to be deployed.

    Another key concern is supposedly whether the force will be called on to disarm Hezbollah fighters.

    Brown said that in view of the political agreement between the concerned parties, he predicted that the challenges facing the UN force is relatively limited, for instance, to disarm small groups that are trying to smuggle arms and will not voluntarily give up arms.

    Forty-nine countries were invited to Thursday's meeting. According to some media reports, at least seven countries have firmly pledged troops to the UNIFIL. Enditem