UN insists Irish not required to disarm Hezbollah

THE United Nations last night insisted that disarming Hezbollah would not form part of the mission for Irish troops if they were sent to Lebanon.

As part of the Security Council resolution which effected this week’s ceasefire, the UN stabilisation force in the south of the country will be expanded from 2,000 to 15,000.

Its principle task will be to monitor the ceasefire. But the resolution also talks of assisting the Lebanese army as it works towards “the disarmament of all armed groups in Lebanon”.

On Monday, the Government expressed deep unease about committing troops to the stabilisation force if disarming Hezbollah was part of the mandate.

The Department of Defence said it was seeking clarification from the Attorney General on what precisely the resolution set out.

In addition, a reliable army source told this newspaper that there would be “no question of defence forces going in to disarm or take on Hezbollah”.

But yesterday, a UN official at the organisation’s New York headquarters said disarming Hezbollah was not on the UN’s agenda.

“No. It isn’t part of [the resolution]. We work with the Lebanese government and the Lebanese army — we are a substitute for neither. It is a task for the Lebanese government to disarm Hezbollah and integrate it into its army.”

While not wishing to be named because he was not a spokesperson for the organisation, the UN official was familiar with the planning process for the expansion of the stabilisation force.

He confirmed, as did the Department of Foreign Affairs, that members of Ireland’s permanent mission to the UN had attended a briefing in New York on Monday to discuss likely participation.

Yesterday, the department said it had yet to receive a formal request from the UN to commit troops to the stabilisation force. But the UN official said the organisation didn’t rely on formal requests to gauge willingness of states to participate in missions.

Instead, discussions would be held, firstly on a technical level between the UN’s department of peacekeeping operations and the militaries of member states to assess availability; and then on a diplomatic basis, involving ministers and ambassadors.

Meanwhile, the Lebanese government began delicate discussions with Hezbollah yesterday with a view to the organisation voluntarily giving up its arms.

Mohammad Chatah, an adviser to Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, said the country’s army would not attempt to disarm Hezbollah by force.

“The army is not going to go [to south Lebanon] to be part of a conflict.”