UNIFIL Deployment Boosted by Italy's Arrival in Lebanon

Around 140 soldiers wearing blue UN berets arrived early in the day in this southern coastal city on board inflatable boats and helicopters from the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).

Lieutenant Federico Mariani, a spokesman for the Italian troops, told reporters the soldiers would carry out reconnaissance before the full contingent of some 800 commandos was ferried ashore from five ships anchored off the coast.

He said rough sea conditions were slowing down the operation which could last well into Sunday.

By late afternoon, 10 amphibious vehicles had come onshore and nearly half the contingent had been deployed, mostly by helicopter, Mariani said.

An Italian ship was also unloading vehicles and equipment further south in the port town of Naqura, where the UNIFIL mission is headquartered. An additional 200 Italian soldiers were due in the capital Beirut on Sunday.

"We are not expecting any problems as we are here on a peace mission," Mariani said.

UNIFIL II a new start

The French commander of UNIFIL, Major General Alain Pellegrini, said the new UN force known as UNIFIL II would mark a fresh start for the longstanding peacekeeping mission.

"We have to forget the previous UNIFIL, the previous UNIFIL is dead and the new one ... is strengthened with stronger rules of engagement," he told reporters in Tyre. "We have more people, more equipment and we will have more possibility to use force to implement our mission," he added. Pellegrini said the Italian contingent will be based in the Tyre area.

Local officials said a public garden located in a nature reserve on the outskirts of Tyre had been made available to the contingent to use as a base.

One local fisherman watching the Italian troop landing welcomed their arrival, saying he hoped it would help shore up the truce now nearing three weeks old. "We are desperate and we are looking for any type of peace," said Jaafar Nassar, 28.

Two-phase Italian deployment underway

Italy aimed to deploy 2,450 ground soldiers in two phases spread over four months, creating the largest contingent in the expanded UNIFIL force of up to 15,000 troops foreseen by the UN truce resolution that took effect on August 14.

Another 15,000 Lebanese troops began deploying in the south last month.

UN Security Council Resolution 1701 ended 34 days of devastating conflict that killed more than 1,200 people in Lebanon, overwhelmingly civilians, and at least 160 Israelis, mostly soldiers.

The UNIFIL force was first deployed to south Lebanon following an Israeli invasion in 1978. Before the reinforcements, it had just under 2,000 soldiers. Resolution 1701 has strengthened UNIFIL's mandate.

Aside from monitoring the truce, the peacekeepers are to support the Lebanese army as it deploys to the international border while Israeli forces withdraw from territory they occupied during the month-long war.

The resolution also calls on UNIFIL to assist the Lebanese military in taking steps toward the disarmament of armed groups.

Disarming of Hezbollah not UNIFIL's job

Pellegrini reiterated Saturday that UN troops would not seek to disarm Hezbollah. "That is not my job," he said. "This is the job of the Lebanese army and we are here to assist the Lebanese army to do this job."

The first UNIFIL reinforcements -- 200 French military engineers -- arrived earlier this month.

European nations have pledged 7,000 troops, including 2,000 from France, which will lead the UN force until February when Italy will take over.

The Spanish government on Friday authorized the dispatch of 1,100 soldiers subject to parliamentary approval.

Germany will decide next week to commit up to 3,000 sea and air troops to UNIFIL II, but not land-based forces, Monday's edition of the German magazine Focus reports.

Indonesia is to send up to 1,000 men after Israel dropped objections to participation by the world's largest Muslim nation.

Israel plans end to blockade

Meanwhile, Lebanese Defense Minister Elias Murr said he had been assured Israel would lift its air and sea blockade within a week, during a meeting with UN special envoy Geir Pedersen.

"We have received assurance from Mr. Pedersen that the blockade would be lifted in the coming days or within a week, the Israeli government is meeting tomorrow (Sunday) and a decision could be taken along those lines," Murr told journalists.

Israel has imposed a debilitating blockade of Lebanon since launching an offensive against Hezbollah militants on July 12.