German Chancellor Angela Merkel has ruled out sending Germany's
combat troops and police to Lebanon as part of an expanded UN
peacekeeping mission to secure a shaky cease-fire between Lebanon's
Hezbollah group and Israel after their month-long fighting.
In an interview with the Welt am Sonntag newspaper
published on Sunday, Merkel reiterated Germany's stance on this
issue, namely, its emphasis on avoiding the risk of a direct
confrontation between German and Israeli soldiers as memories of
the Holocaust are still fresh.
However, she conceded that Germany planned to send a small navy
unit to help guard Lebanon's coastal waters to curb the flow of
weapons into the volatile border region.
Germany is also considering offering advisors and technical
support to the Lebanese border police at the Israeli and Syrian
frontiers and the Beirut international airport, she said.
Meanwhile, Merkel expressed the hope that other European
countries would contribute more troops to the UN peacekeeping
mission, the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).
Asked about the significance of the German participation in
UNIFIL, Merkel said Germany is responsible for the existence of
Israel because of historical reasons and that the UN mission will
hopefully bring peace to the Middle East.
The question of whether Germany should send troops to Lebanon
has been fiercely debated in the country, with a solid majority of
the German public against the proposal. Merkel's government has
been cautious while dealing with the issue.
(Xinhua News Agency August 21, 2006)
