UN Casualties - Koffi's Vitriol

Koffi Annan apparently still has no concept that bad things can happen in war, even to UN military forces. And as usual, he couldn't be bothered to actually have any real information on the problem before denouncing Israel completely.

Military sources said the incident occurred during an air and artillery attack near Khiyam, at the eastern region of southern Lebanon, where the IDF was preparing a large ground assault meant to create a Hezbollah-free buffer zone on the area north of Israel's border. Four members of the United Nations's interim force in Lebanon, identified as being from Canada, Austria, China, and Finland, were killed.

"I am shocked and deeply distressed by the apparently deliberate targeting by Israeli Defense Forces of a U.N. observer post in southern Lebanon," Mr. Annan said yesterday in a late-night statement released in Rome, where he is attending a meeting of top players steering attempts to find solutions in the Lebanon war.

Citing no Israeli motivation for the alleged "deliberate" attack, Mr. Annan called on Israel to "conduct a full investigation."

Israeli officials say they have an interest in avoiding targets that, if hit, would lead to widespread international pressure to end the campaign before Hezbollah's military capabilities are significantly reduced.

Israel's U.N. ambassador, Dan Gillerman, expressed "regret for the tragic incident," adding, however, that he was "deeply distressed by the hasty statement of the secretary-general, insinuating that Israel has deliberately targeted the U.N. post Khiyam."

In a statement released last night, Mr. Gillerman called Mr. Annan's assertions "premature and erroneous." While "demanding an investigation," Mr. Annan "has already issued its conclusions," Mr. Gillerman said.

If Annan was so extremely concerned about the UN personnel, he should have moved them out as soon as the conflict started. Not that they were doing anything of any benefit to anyone by their presence. With the fact that Hezbollah intentionally hides behind non-combatants to draw fire on them, you'd think that Annan might want to hold his tongue. But then, I'm certain that Annan assumes that the UN blue is a perfect guarantee to be protected by all sides in a conflict.

"Furthermore," Mr. Annan added, "General Alain Pelligrini, the U.N. Force Commander in south Lebanon, had been in repeated contact with Israeli officers throughout the day on Tuesday, stressing the need to protect that particular U.N. position from attack."

Mr. Annan, who according to diplomats was accompanied by the U.N. peacekeeping chief, Undersecretary-General Jean Marie Guehenno, as he released the statement, believes he could not promote placing an international force in southern Lebanon if he does not appear to support his troops, according to a source familiar with yesterday's statement.

Mr. Guehenno had a long dispute with Israel several years ago, when he had insisted that UNIFIL did not possess a videocassette depicting the Hezbollah kidnapping of Israeli soldiers. The cassette, videotaped by UNIFIL troops, eventually surfaced and the U.N. was forced to apologize and launch an internal investigation.

Interesting that Guehenno couldn't support putting in UN forces into Lebanon. I find it unlikely that Israel would agree in any case, mainly due to the UN force's well know record on not being able to do anything but hide.

More of the same from that bastion of humanity, the UN.