Germany calls for help in Lebanon border mission

Germany has called for other EU member states to help expand its border monitoring mission in Lebanon, in what could be the first step towards a full-scale EU mission.

Germany currently advises the Lebanese security forces on how best to monitor a portion of Lebanon’s northern border with Syria.

European diplomats said that the technical team, which does not actually patrol, has been a success and Germany is now looking to extend the project.

"It is only one part of the border at the moment," said one diplomat, "but we see it as a long-term thing, so we are asking others to come on board." The German civil police teams have been advising Lebanese border officials on how best to stop the flow of arms, people and contraband in the mountainous border region.

While diplomats are playing down suggestions that an EU border assistance mission will be established in Lebanon in the short term, the idea has not been ruled out.

At a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg on Monday (23 April) the UK and Denmark indicated that they might be interested in taking part. Canada may also be involved.

Germany’s request comes as the security of Lebanon’s 454-kilometre frontier is put under the spotlight.

On 17 April, the United Nations Security Council agreed to send an investi-gative team to Lebanon to examine allegations that weapons are smuggled across its borders.

As part of the agreement that ended the Lebanese war in summer 2006, Lebanon commit-ted itself to disarming militias and preventing new weapons from entering the country.

The UN Security Council resolution avoided mentioning any country by name, but the US and Israel have publicly accused Syria and Iran of fuelling the crisis in Lebanon by providing arms to Hizbullah. Lebanon and Syria have denied these accusations.

But EU diplomats privately admit that Syria may be using land crossings with Lebanon to smuggle arms to Islamic radicals, such as Hizbullah.

"The Lebanese security forces cannot control the border," said an EU diplomat, who is in favour of inter-national intervention, "they don’t have enough resources".

The EU currently has a border mission in southern Gaza, where EU customs officials super-vise the flow of people between Gaza and Egypt.

But trying to establish a similar mission in Lebanon, which would need the political backing of Syria to go ahead, could prove politically fraught.

Germany has called for other EU member states to help expand its border monitoring mission in Lebanon, in what could be the first step towards a full-scale EU mission.