Leading The Peacekeepers
France is dripping all over the news today, sort of like an overripe, runny Brie left in the sun. With the same aroma. Now the Times of London reports that Jacques Chirac is applying heavy pressure on the UN to give France command of the UNIFIL forces. A diplomatic row is brewing between France and Italy.
KOFI ANNAN, the UN Secretary-General, will be asked today to decide whether France or Italy will command the expanded United Nations peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon.
The conflict arose after President Chirac announced the dispatch of two additional battalions, bringing the total number of French troops in the UN mission to 2,000.
M Chirac’s U-turn followed international criticism over an initial French offer to send only 200 soldiers.
But it appeared to place him at loggerheads with Romano Prodi, the Italian Prime Minister, who has said that he would provide 3,000 soldiers to join the expanded UN mission in southern Lebanon.
Signor Prodi offered to take the lead in the force and won backing from other Western capitals. Yesterday he said that President Bush had taken a “positive” view of Italy’s offer to lead the force.
But Italy’s stance has ruffled feathers in France, the former colonial power that sees itself as the natural leader of the international community in Lebanon.
Philippe Douste-Blazy, the French Foreign Minister, said this week that France retained command of the UN force under existing arrangements until February.
Last night M Chirac asked the UN to maintain the lead role for France, insisting that “we are historically close” to Lebanon.
Italian newspapers suggested that an unseemly diplomatic spat between Rome and Paris over control of the peacekeeping mission could be avoided by an agreement to share the command.
But neither M Chirac nor Signor Prodi made reference to such a deal — with the French head of state insisting on the need for a “simple, clear, coherent” chain of command.
That last statement from Chirac would appear to disqualify the French entirely, would it not? Well, the French would be exceedingly good at any maneuver requiring a volte-face, I guess.





