EU troops face ‘long and hard’ Lebanon mission

The first wave of European troops will arrive in Lebanon later this week, amid warnings from diplomats that the process of stabilising the country will be "long and hard".

EU and member states officials described the sensitivity of the mission as unlike anything tackled by the EU before, warning of a "lengthy process" in which "nobody will be rushing in aggressively".

The deployment of 6,900 EU troops is expected to take place in two or three phases and will be completed by the end of the year.

Although the mission will take place under the auspices of the United Nations, the force commanders and almost half the troops will be European.

The bulk of the first wave of troops is expected to arrive tomorrow ( 1 September) to bolster the fragile two-week old ceasefire. But the troops’ role continues to be divisive. Israel is pressing EU governments forcibly to assist the Lebanese army in its efforts to secure control of the country and to disarm Hizbullah.

"The Lebanese army needs a little more than Dutch courage," said one Israeli diplomat.

But EU officials are taking a more cautious approach. "This will be a Lebanese process," said one Council of Ministers official, echoing comments from others on the need for international troops to play a supportive role.

Diplomatic efforts are now focused on talks between Hizbullah and the Lebanese authorities aimed at bringing about Hizbullah’s peaceful disarmament, in the hope that force will not be necessary.

EU diplomats are also focusing on the need to prevent any active opposition to that process from Iran and Syria. The two countries are accused by Israel of providing arms and financial support to Hizbullah.

The need for Syria’s co-operation was highlighted recently by President Bashar Assad’s threat to close the border with Lebanon if peacekeepers were deployed along the frontier.

According to diplomats, Syria’s close ties with the Lebanese army are also causing problems for military planners and intelligence officials.

One issue that has been raised among Brussels policymakers is the difficulty in working with the Lebanese army and providing them with sensitive intelligence. Many of the army’s Shia members, including some holding senior rank, are suspected of being sympathetic to Hizbullah.

In parallel to military and diplomatic efforts, international donors will today (31 August) meet in Stockholm to organise reconstruction in Lebanon and the Palestinian territories.

The European Commission estimates that 30,000 homes were destroyed in Lebanon during the 34 days of fighting.

According to a spokesperson for Humanitarian Aid Commissioner Louis Michel, the EU hopes to release €30 million in humanitarian assistance for the country in the coming days, in addition to what is pledged towards reconstruction at the Stockholm conference. The €30m will be spent on providing safe drinking water and dealing with large numbers of people who left their homes to avoid aerial bombardments.

But unexploded devices in the areas where peacekeepers and humanitarian workers operate are causing problems. Diplomats have been shown satellite images illustrating the extent of bombing in the south.

Israel has also turned over some of its military maps to the UN. But Michel’s spokesperson said there was still not "a clear picture of the risks".

The first wave of European troops will arrive in Lebanon later this week, amid warnings from diplomats that the process of stabilising the country will be "long and hard".