Friday - August 25, 2006

Barking Moonbat Of The Week

This was a tough choice this week. It was either Chirac for waffling back and forth or the Washington Post for calling 2,000 men a “Big Force”, especially when you consider the fact that those 2,000 troops are Fwench. To be precise, 2,000 Fwench troops is roughly the fighting equivalent of an American squad (10 real warrriors).

Chirac and the Fwench pressured Israel to accept this crummy cease-fire deal and promised troops to enforce it. Then Chirac decided Fwance would only send a few engineers to “asssist”. Then Chirac said he would not send troops unless the Fwench were placed in charge and clear rules of engagement were defined by the UN. This is probably because the Fwench have never really engaged in any real fighting and needed a tutorial ... sort of a “Warfare For Fwench Dummies” book was called for.

Now finally Fwance and Chirac have decided to send 2,000 of Fwance’s finest, under Fwench control, to manage the situation. Of course, Chirac also pleaded with the US and Britain to cover their back with more of our troops - possibly to lay down suppressing fire while the Fwench retreat? Fortunately, Tony Blair and George Bush decided to take a pass on this one so it is now up to the mighty Fwench forces to maintain peace between two opposing forces. I’m sure a substantial supply of white flags have already been ordered ...

France Sets Big Force for Lebanon
2,000 to Serve As Peacekeepers; ‘Clarifications’ Set
_{PARIS (WASHINGTON POST)
Friday, August 25, 2006}

French President Jacques Chirac said Thursday that France would commit 2,000 troops to a new international peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon. The decision breaks a stalemate that has held up the dispatch of soldiers seen by diplomats as crucial to maintaining the 11-day-old cease-fire between Hezbollah and Israel.

Chirac’s announcement in a nationally televised address followed days of intense negotiations with the United Nations, Lebanon and Israel over European concerns that the force would have no clear mandate and inadequate rights to open fire in defense of itself or civilians.

“We obtained the necessary clarifications from the U.N. on the chain of command, which needs to be simple, coherent and reactive,” he said, “and the rules of engagement, which must guarantee the freedom of movement of the force and its ability to operate when confronted with hostile conditions.”

France helped broker the U.N. cease-fire and initially indicated it would commit 2,000 troops to help maintain the truce. But Chirac was chastised at home and abroad when he later said he would dispatch only 200 engineers to augment the 200 French troops serving in an existing U.N. monitoring force on the Lebanon-Israel border.

Chirac said he hoped France’s decision Thursday would spur other countries to join the force, including the United States and Britain. Both have said they are too taxed in Iraq and Afghanistan to take part. In a statement issued in Kennebunkport, Maine, where he is vacationing, President Bush gave no sign of reversing that decision. But he called Chirac’s move “an important step towards finalizing preparations to deploy the United Nations Interim Force of Lebanon” and called on other countries to join in.

So far, Italy is the only other European country to make a major commitment, offering to send as many as 3,000 troops and to command the force. But the direction of the expanded force appears to be in French hands. French and U.N. officials said French Maj. Gen. Alain Pelligrini will retain command of the U.N. mission until his term ends next February. U.N. officials said an Italian general will head a new military command center at U.N. headquarters to map out strategy for the operation.

Posted by The Skipper     on 08/25/2006 at 11:50 AM   
Filed Under: • Awards • EUro-peons • Middle-East •  
• Comments (10) • Trackbacks(1)  Permalink •  

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