Blair and Turkish leader consider sending force to Lebanon

Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and British prime minister Tony Blair today discussed the possibility of deploying a peacekeeping force along the Lebanese-Israeli border.

Turkey, Nato’s only Muslim member, had expressed a readiness to contribute troops to a peacekeeping force if there were first a ceasefire and if the force were backed by a UN resolution.

Erdogan and Blair, in their brief telephone conversation, discussed the need for a ceasefire and the peacekeeping force, Erdogan’s spokesman, Akif Beki, said.

Turkey’s Cabinet also discussed the possible deployment and the need for an end to hostilities.

“It is impossible to establish such a force without support from all sides involved in the clashes for a ceasefire. It is important that there is no delay on the issue,” government spokesman Cemil Cicek said after the weekly Cabinet meeting.

He also said that a “suitable framework … needs to be established” for the deployment of such a force.

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan had planned to hold a meeting today that would have brought together nations willing to send troops to a peacekeeping force, but diplomats said the meeting was postponed to give more time for diplomatic efforts to bring about a ceasefire.

On Friday, US State Department Counsellor Philip Zelikow visited Turkey to discuss peacekeeping in Lebanon.

Zelikow had already met with officials from France and other countries before arriving in Turkey.

Several EU nations, including Spain, Portugal, Italy and France, are also considering contributing to the force.