06 October 2006

Turkey, the only Muslim member of NATO and a country with close ties to both Israel and Arab states, will become the first Muslim nation to deploy peacekeepers in Lebanon next week, a Turkish television station reported Thursday. Turkey's Foreign Ministry would not immediately confirm the report, saying evaluations were still under way for the deployment. Turkish military officials were not immediately available.

Private NTV television reported that a Turkish engineer company of around 260 soldiers was scheduled to fly to Lebanon from Ankara on Tuesday.

The reported deployment of engineers seems to be a calculated move to avoid possible confrontation with fellow Muslims. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has assured a skeptical public that Turkish soldiers will be withdrawn immediately if asked to disarm Hizbullah fighters.

Turkey was not expected to offer more land forces, but is also contributing some navy ships. Earlier, Turkish leaders said the number of troops that would serve in the peacekeeping force in Lebanon would not exceed 1,000. It appears the number would include the sailors as well.

NTV said a Turkish frigate would depart on Friday from the Mediterranean base of Aksaz to join international naval forces. The frigate has around 300 personnel, NTV said.

The Turkish contingent would be deployed in an area some 15 kilometers off the port of Tyre and would help reconstruct damaged bridges or roads, NTV said.

The area is about 20 kilometers north of the Lebanese-Israeli border.

Another Muslim country, Indonesia, was also expected to deploy troops in Lebanon later.

Last month, Turkey's Parliament approved sending soldiers to help monitor the shaky cease-fire between Israel and Hizbullah fighters based in Southern Lebanon, despite widespread public opposition and street protests.

Turks, most of whom are Muslims, are wary of being drawn into fighting with fellow Muslims to protect Israel, whose 34-day bombardment of Lebanon was extraordinarily unpopular here as in much of the Islamic world.

However, Erdogan's government sees participating in the peacekeeping force as a chance to raise Turkey's international profile as it strives to join the European Union and reassert Turkish influence in the region.

Meanwhile, Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi will head next week to Lebanon, where Rome will soon be the leading contributor of troops to UNIFIL, his office said Thursday.

With pledges to send up to 2,500 troops to Lebanon, Italy is at the forefront of the UN peacekeeping mission, which is currently under French command. Italy is due to take over leadership of the expanded mission in February 2007.

In other security developments, the National News Agency (NNA) reported Thursday that Israeli warplanes violated Lebanon's airspace at 10:30 a.m., flying at low altitude over the southern regions of Nabatieh, Iqlim al-Tuffah, Marjayoun and Khiam, where they carried out mock air raids.

According to the NNA, two Israeli aircraft also violated airspace over the Baalbek Valley at around 10:50 a.m., in addition to two Israeli warplanes that entered Lebanon's southern airspace at 11:15 a.m., flying over Tyre and Bint Jbeil.

And in the latest relief efforts, the Norwegian Red Cross shipped 10 heavy-duty ambulances to Lebanon on Thursday to help provide medical assistance in war-damaged areas, officials said.

"Damaged roads after the war [with Israel] have made it difficult for normal ambulances to make it through. So, we sent 10 off-road ambulances to the Lebanese Red Cross," said Bernt G. Apeland, spokesman for the aid group in Oslo.

The ambulances were donated by the Norwegian military, with funding from the Foreign Ministry. They are four-wheel-drive and each have space for six patients. The ambulances are being transported by ferry and road, and are expected to reach Lebanon by the end of October. - Agencies, The Daily Star