The United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon talks about "positive role" played by the Party of God, but blue helmet officers show that the attacks were prepared and could happen again in an area controlled by the Shiite group. Analyst: Hezbollah wants to reduce UNIFIL to "hostages under its control" to manipulate future confrontations with Israel.

Beirut (AsiaNews) - The UN has thrown water on the fire and denied a "crisis of confidence" with Hezbollah because of attacks against UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon (UNIFIL), but this positive attitude is countered by the proliferation of rumours that in fact the Party of God wants to put a halt to the UN role, one of the steps in preparations for a new armed confrontation against Israel.

"Hezbollah has played a positive role in reducing tension," Michael Williams, UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon said yesterday, adding that "there is no crisis of confidence" with the Party of God.  UNIFIL Officers explain that friction with local residents is understandable, because of the more than 350 fixed and mobile checkpoints. On the other hand, they observe that the ambush appeared to have been prepared, and recent Hezbollah criticism of the blue helmets have raised fears that new accidents can "happen" again in an area heavily controlled by the Shiite group.

Which, according to an analysis published on Middle East Online, seems to have a common objective, with its "masters" Iran and Syria, " cripple and castrate " UNIFIL troops and replicate its ongoing scheme that crippled the Lebanese army since 2005.  Hezbollah wants UNIFIL to be something like a boy scout contingent, only assigned to prepare reports and having no military teeth, power, or authority, as well as no freedom of movement. Hezbollah is planning to make the UNIFIL troops mere hostages and pawns under its control that it can manipulate and use in any future confrontation with Israel or between Iran and Syria on one side and the Free World on the other.”

In this regard according to An Nahar, the Syrian representative to the UN, Ambassador Bashar Jaafari, warned the United Nations from taking positions in Lebanon, because " this could threaten the painstaking achievements that have been made by various sides, including Syria".  Jaafari has also argued against what his government considers "interference" by "the Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in bilateral relations between Lebanon and Syria." (PD)

• lebanon
• UN
• UNIFIL
• hezbollah
• syria
• iran
• israel
• politics
• power
• army
• troops
• attack
• shiite