Qatar to send 200-300 troops to UN Lebanon force
Arab Gulf state to commit troops to peacekeeping force in south Lebanon
The Gulf state of Qatar on Monday became the first Arab country to commit troops to a UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon with an offer of 200-300 troops.
Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad al-Thani did not say when the troops would go to Lebanon, where they would join an expanded UN force set up to keep the peace between Israel and Hizbullah in south Lebanon.
"We have decided that Qatar will participate in UNIFIL by sending 200-300 military personnel and we believe UNIFIL must have specific duties on the ground," Sheikh Hamad told reporters during a visit to Doha by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
Qatar, a political maverick in the conservative Gulf Arab region, maintains low-level ties with Israel. It is also a key US ally and hosts a major US military base.
Italian troops will make up the largest single contingent of the force known as UNIFIL II, to deploy in the south after a truce halted Israel's 34-day war with Hizbullah on Aug. 14.
Speaking to reporters, Annan said the United Nations hoped UNIFIL II would be a "manifestation of international solidarity" with Lebanon. He also urged Israel to lift its siege of the country, saying it was unsustainable.
"We are using the UN influence to lift the embargo especially as Lebanon is trying to rebuild... It has to be allowed to rebuild. I urge Israel to cooperate," he said.
Israel has kept an air and sea embargo on Lebanon after its 34-day-old war with Lebanon's Hizbullah ended on Aug. 14. Israel says the blockade was aimed at preventing Hizbullah rearming.
All ships and aircraft require Israeli permission to use Lebanese waters and airspace. On Sunday, Qatar Airways said it would resume direct flights to and from Beirut.
