UN questions usefulness of peacekeepers

Equally, the UN has had little success in persuading Israel to halt its flights over Lebanese airspace, actions the UN calls "provocative" and "unjustified."

Israel has repeatedly accused UNIFIL of failing to prevent attacks against Israeli troops. But UNIFIL is unapologetic.

"The Israelis have their own interests in mind and they have been saying the same things about us since 1978," says Timur Goksel, a UNIFIL spokesman. "Basically our role is to observe and monitor the Blue Line.... We can't operate according to Israel's interests," he added.

The Lebanese government has also drawn criticism from the UN. Earlier this month, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan accused Beirut of flouting UN resolutions by permitting Hizbullah to stage attacks across the Blue Line. He called on Lebanon to deploy troops in strength along the border and to provide better basic services to the local population.

The Lebanese government argues that Hizbullah is legitimately resisting Israel's occupation of the Shebaa Farms.

Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri said on Monday that there had been no serious outbreak of violence along the border lately.

"But the situation remains fragile and that's why we have demanded another six-month extension for UNIFIL," Mr. Hariri said.

But UNIFIL is in the process of being reduced and its annual budget slashed. In the past year, battalions from Nepal, Ireland, and Finland have departed from Lebanon, more than halving UNIFIL's strength to 3,628. The figure is expected to reach 2,000 by the end of the year following the departure of the Fijian battalion.

At the same time, UNIFIL's annual budget has dropped from $143.9 million to $117 million for the next 12 months. But it still ranks as the seventh most expensive peacekeeping operation of the UN's 15 current missions.

No further reduction in UNIFIL's manpower is expected after this year, however, due to the prevailing uncertainty in the Mideast.

Diplomats in Beirut say that UNIFIL's presence is still essential to provide reliable information on developments in the border area.

At Labboune, a Fijian soldier in an observation tower watches an Israeli army jeep drive slowly alongside the border fence, churning up clouds of dust in its wake. A sun-faded blue UN flag snaps in the hot breeze. In the neighboring Hizbullah position, a fighter in civilian clothes and a baseball cap speaks into a walky-talky as the Israeli vehicle trundles by. The Fijian peacekeepers and their Hizbullah neighbors studiously ignore each other.

"We get a sense that the mission is coming to an end," the Fijian officer says. "But there is still a need for a military presence here. No one really knows what's happening down here except for us."

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