Progress made on multi-national force

VIDEO - The United Nations received commitments from a number of states which have agreed to take part in the multi-national force that will deploy in south Lebanon, according to UN Deputy Secretary-General Mark Malloch. Malloch made the statements at the end of night-time meeting between representatives of 40 countries. According to a UN Security Council meeting, an initial force of 3,500 soldiers is supposed to arrive in the area within 15 days of the ceasefire, but Malloch refused to detail the makeup of the force agreed upon. UN sources confirmed that the Bangladeshi government agreed to send a large force of 2,000 soldiers, while Italy, Spain, and Belgium announced that they would take part in the force. The three states are able to deploy soldiers relatively quickly. Other countries who may send soldiers to Lebanon include Egypt, Morocco, Poland, New Zealand, Turkey, Greece, China and Portugal. Meanwhile, Britain committed to sending an aerial aid force and Cyprus said it would act as a base for forces in the area. The US will supply the UN with logistical aid, and send experts to the UN general headquarters. Malloch said the force will be strong and well equipped, with authority to act in the desired way in vital area. The aim of the force, he said, was to held the Lebanese government safeguard security on its border. UNIFIL would act to obtain calm in the area while a political effort was made to find a long-term solution to the problems, he added. Malloch said the way to solve the problems in the area was through diplomacy, not military. Following Security Council Resolution 1701 and the commitment to form a multinational force that will consist of thousands of soldiers, it appeared Thursday night that the mission was about to be extremely difficult. The representatives of about 40 countries which have shown a certain interest in sending soldiers to the multinational force met in Ney York Thursday night. UN Deputy Secretary-General Mark Malloch Brown stressed that the force would be well-equipped but not offensive. He called on the countries to immediately send their forces. Another meeting is expected to be held at the United Nations on Monday. Earlier, France refused to send a NATO force in which the United States has a commanding post, and this is the reason, according to sources in Washington, that it rushed to present its candidacy to head a multinational force. Now the French are hesitating whether to send forces to Lebanon. French President Jacques Chirac announced that he would only send 400 soldiers to southern Lebanon and German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced that she would not send any troops. In an effort to save the situation, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice spoke to French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy. A State Department spokesman said the he expected that after the meeting at the UN headquarters, the contribution of each country to the international community's effort would be clearer. Reserve soldiers return home While the multinational force is being built and the Lebanese army is deploying, the Israel Defense Forces continues to decrease its forces. More than one-third of the territory which IDF forces occupied in southern Lebanon was handed over to UNIFIL members in the past 24 hours. In the coming days, Lebanese soldiers who are still north of the Litani River are expected to take up some of these territories. The IDF's reserve soldiers have already left the territory, and most of them held summarizing talks on Thursday and were released. Only few remain on the border, prepared for the event of an unexpected incident. Inside Lebanon there are still many forces from the Paratroopers, Nahal and Golani brigades and armor forces. All the forces are a few kilometers away from the border. IDF officials estimated that the last Israeli soldier will leave Lebanon's territory next week. Another quiet day was noted in southern Lebanon Thursday. The naval blockade on the country continued, with Navy missile ships patrolling the area and preventing the movement of suspicious vessels. A senior Navy officer told Ynet: "Equipment of humanitarian aid is being transferred to Lebanon following an IDF examination. The naval blockade has a key role in the pressure on the Lebanese army, and we have seen that it is effective and contributes to the overall move." Hanan Greenberg contributed to the report