Tensions between UN, villagers ignite fears in Lebanon (News Feature)

By Weedah Hamzah Jul 8, 2010, 3:06 GMT

Beirut - Recent and repeated attacks against UN peacekeepers by villagers in southern Lebanon have ignited a debate in the country's political arena and spread fears that such incidents may develop into a clash.

A high-ranking government official who spoke to the German Press Agency dpa on condition of anonymity said that the 'incidents with the UN peacekeepers and the villagers are serious, whether they were spontaneous or planned.'

On Saturday, two peacekeepers in a French patrol with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) sustained minor injuries after being attacked by southern Lebanese residents - mainly followers of Hezbollah - in the village of Touline.

The attack was the second of its kind in less than one week, after villagers in Khirbet Silim threw stones at a UNIFIL patrol, damaging their vehicles.

The UN special coordinator for Lebanon, Michael Williams, stressed that 'some of these incidents may have been spontaneous ... but some were clearly organized.'

The incidents prompted Lebanese Premier Saad Hariri to launch on Monday an Arab and European tour to discuss the issue.

During talks with Egyptian and French officials earlier this week, Hariri stressed that 'it is of no one's interest to start provocative acts targeting any side in southern Lebanon.'

Observers believe that the Lebanese incidents will spur discussions in the UN Security Council, especially in the run-up to the UNIFIL mandate in Lebanon expiring on August 31.

According to a western diplomatic source in Beirut, the attack on the French troops has angered France and prompted officials in Paris to consider setting 'some new conditions' before the renewal of UNIFIL's mandate.

Lebanese parliamentarian Ziad al-Qadri, a member of Hariri's bloc, told dpa that the premier's diplomatic connections have reinforced Lebanon's security.

'Hariri's visit to France and other countries came to protect Lebanon from any possible threat in the south,' he added.

The repeated attacks have nevertheless ignited a debate in the country, especially in the Lebanese parliament between lawmakers loyal to the western-backed government and those supporting Hezbollah.

Under the UN Security Council resolution that ended the July 2006 Israel-Lebanon war, UNIFIL is tasked with securing a weapons-free zone near the Litani River in southern Lebanon, coordinating its activities with Lebanon and Israel and assisting Lebanon when needed.

Hezbollah lawmakers have accused 'some' UNIFIL contingents - mainly French and Spanish teams - of overstepping their mission and assisting Israel.

Concern over the attacks on the peacekeepers has spread to the streets of the capital, where residents worry about future relations between the peacekeepers and the Lebanese.

'The peacekeepers have been patrolling the area since July 2006. Why now, we have to fight with them? This is definitely linked to a regional issue,' said Anas Chabaan, a banker in Beirut.

Christian Lebanese Forces executive council president Samir Geagea, an outspoken critic of Hezbollah and an ally of Hariri, also theorized that the confrontations between Lebanese villagers and UNIFIL troops in South Lebanon were not 'spontaneous.'

'Unfortunately, there are political motives behind what is currently happening', Geagea said.

It is unclear if the motives are 'regional, linked to sanctions against Iran or relevant to the (UN) Special Tribunal for Lebanon,' he added.

The special tribunal was set up to try suspects in the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese premier Rafik Hariri, who was killed in a car bomb in Beirut along with 20 other people.

Syria and its allies in Lebanon were widely blamed for the Hariri assassination, a charge Damascus has so far denied.

The tribunal's prosecutor in April summonsed some 12 individuals who are Hezbollah members or supporters in connection with the Hariri case, according to Hezbollah chief Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah.

Nasrallah has warned that 'accusing individual members of our party is equivalent to accusing Hezbollah.'

'That would take Lebanon to a very difficult place,' he said.

Tribunal chief Antonio Cassese said last month that the prosecutor is expected to issue an indictment later this year.