I don’t know, this headline just hit me as funny, especially considering France’s participation.
Europe offers ‘backbone‘ of peacekeepers
By SLOBODAN LEKIC, Associated Press Writer
BRUSSELS, Belgium – U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Friday that Europe had agreed to provide the “backbone” of a peacekeeping force for Lebanon, providing nearly half of a 15,000-member contingent…
France, in particular, had held back from promising a large contribution and demanded a clearer definition of the mission and the rules of engagement.
Annan said he asked France — which dramatically increased its pledged contribution to 2,000 troops late Thursday — to lead the 15,000-member mission until February 2007.
French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said Annan gave guarantees for the safety of European troops and on rules of engagement, and that France wanted an arms-free “exclusion zone” in south Lebanon. (emphasis mine)
“We think the best solution for disarming Hezbollah is to make an exclusion zone with the retreat of the Israeli army on one side and the deployment of the Lebanese army on the other, reinforced by the U.N. troops,” he said.
“Our objective is clear, to disarm Hezbollah,” Douste-Blazy said, but added that military force was not the answer. “The only solution is to have a political solution.”
Military troops in a war zone and France wants guaranteed safety? And rules of engagement…isn’t Hezbollah a terrorist organization? Last I heard, terrorists did not abide by any “rules of engagement.” Pretty much anything goes with terrorist groups.
trackbacked to Stop the ACLU and Blue Star Chronicles and ‘Castle’ Argghhh!
Oh no no no, Koffi is brilliant.
Put a couple of thousand French troops in the hot sun for a couple of days. Nothing and I do mean NOTHING will cross that line.
Hi, Anna! So you were the one in the chat room yesterday when Pat was on Andrea’s Show. Nice to meet you
Love your WHO CARES? columns.
OK, tell me Stew. What will happen if someone tries to cross that line!
Hi Kitty,
Yes it was me yesterday! Great job with the Christmas in Cambodia findings and it was very nice to meet you as well!
Thank you for the compliment! It just blows my mind what the MSM will waste time on while so many critical things are happening in the world!
Well, Annanonymous, the possibilities are endless. But I’m going to make you check my blog for the answers.
I don’t think it is gonna work. The French are wanting the leadership of the UN troops..when the Italians stepped in the French decided that they would send more troops and of course now the French are claiming that 15000 is too many. I figure thar two French troops is two too many.
Oh, alright Stew, I’ll come over and check!
Well, isn’t “French troops” an oxymoron, GUYK?!
And no, it isn’t going to work any better then UN sanctions would work on Iran.
Well now the ‘talk’ is for the UN to intercept Hezbollah arms shipments but no disarming Hezbollah.
Dang, suddenly a US $3 bill with Al Gore’s mugshot is more trustworthy.
Lovely! I suppose stopping a shipment is easier then going up to a terrorist and saying, “May I have your gun, please?!”
Sure looks more & more like another UN debacle, to me. And Douste-Blazy’s statements are downright funny! Kinda reminded me of that line, “The French army is the only military force on earth — where the troops have sunburned armpits.”
Oh, that’s a good one, Trish! I hadn’t heard that one before! I had heard the “only army that comes equipped with white flags!”