Turkey's Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul received assurances from the Lebanese administration for "a consensus among all groups within the country" as one of the prerequisites for its involvement with the international force to be deployed to the region in the wake of the cease-fire.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora, Speaker of the Lebanese National Assembly Nabih Berri, and Lebanese Foreign Minister Fawzi Sallukh hosted Gul during his one-day visit to Lebanon to review plans to include Turkey in the United Nations peacekeeping force and to assess the situation after the implementation of the cease-fire.
During his Beirut talks, Gul focused on two main preconditions for the possible inclusion of Turkish military forces in the multinational control of the situation: a) definite [or permanent] devotion to the cease-fire, b) consent from all segments of Lebanese society to the deployment of the United Nations-led peacekeeping force.
Siniora informed Gul that all groups in Lebanon, including Hezbollah, have given their consent to the arrival of Turkish troops in the country, according to reports on local news services.
On his return to Turkey, Gul said that the peacekeeping force will not be assigned with the duty to disarm Hezbollah and hand them over to the Lebanese government.
With special emphasis on the fact that Hezbollah is part of the Lebanese government, Gul said that forces will be deployed as peacekeepers in response to an invitation from the Beirut administration.
"We only act bearing in mind the demands of the Lebanese people and all groups here in Lebanon for the Turkish government." Gul told Barri.
The discussion between Gul and Siniora was focused mainly on the conditions for a possible engagement of Turkish troops in the United Nations-led peacekeeping force; however, neither the quality nor the quantity of such an engagement became a matter of discussion, sources in Beirut said.
Asked whether Gul had any specific talks with officials associated with Hezbollah, sources said that whatever the Lebanese officials say is made in agreement with Hezbollah, because Hezbollah is part of the government in Lebanon.
Gul said that the Turkish officials are in talks with officials from other countries across the region, including Syria and Israel, over a possible deployment of Turkish troops to the United Nations-led forces.
Gul told reporters that the Turkish government will offer its utmost assistance in the reconstruction of Lebanon, in addition to assurances for the continuation of humanitarian aid to this country.
The Turkish government has set forth prerequisites for the inclusion of its troops in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, UNIFIL, as follows:
- Commitment to a permanent cease-fire,
- Adherence from groups to the United Nations demands,
- Assignment of the United Nations to peacekeeping, not to peacemaking,
- Consensus among all groups to avoid the impression that the UNIFIL is operating against the Lebanese people.
On his return to Ankara, Gul assured that no country thinks of participation in the deployment of the United Nations-led peacekeeping force in Lebanon beyond the already-outlined goals.
Gul also met with Saad Hariri, the son of Rafiq Hariri, the assassinated former Lebanese prime minister, and with his French, Pakistani and Malaysian counterparts.
‘We did not report Nasrallah'
Al Sharq Al Awsat released an article suggesting that the Turkish intelligence service reported to Israel word that Nasrallah, the Hezbollah leader, was hiding in the Iranian embassy in Beirut; Gul disputed the report.
"The Turkish government is under no obligation to respond to articles published by any newspapers around the world," said Gul, questioning the accuracy of the Al Sharq Al Awsat news report.
Source: Zaman
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