Belgium to assume control of UNIFIL”s naval wing
Poland confirms departure from international peacekeeping force “because of budget cuts”
Belgium will assume command of the UN”s Maritime Task Force (MTF) in Lebanon beginning March 1, the Belgian Embassy”s military attaché told The Daily Star Wednesday. News of the change came as Poland”s defense minister said his country would end its peacekeeping mission in Lebanon.
"[Belgium] will take over the command for the maritime task force," Luc Wynant said, adding that the naval force, part of the United Nation”s Interim Force in Lebanon, would be led by Belgian Rear Admiral Thierry Pynoo. The mandate for command is to last three months, from March 1 to May 31, he said.
Wynant said that Pynoo would lead the force from the frigate, Leopold 1, noting that the ship would hold 170 personnel, including the commander and international staff.
The MTF is tasked with patrolling Lebanese territorial waters to prevent smuggling, particularly of arms, to the country by sea. UNIFIL spokeswoman Yasmina Bouziane told The Daily Star that Belgium would take control of the MTF from the French, who currently head the force as part of the European Maritime Force (EUROMARFOR) mission.
In late January, France announced the possibility of withdrawing two vessels from the UNIFIL naval force, and Wynant confirmed that a French downsizing was a possibility.
Without specifying, Bouziane said that force”s composition could change. "The MTF mandate does not change," she said, "[but] the composition will change, of course, with the change of command."
UNIFIL commander General Claudio Graziano first announced the change of command on Wednesday. He also voiced his troops” steadfast commitment to the implementation of UN Security Council resolution 1701, which ended the summer 2006 war with Israel.
Graziano”s statements, however, came as the Polish defense minister announced that his country will end several peacekeeping missions across the globe, including in Lebanon.
Poland has about 500 troops in Lebanon, serving under the UNIFIL mandate. The country will also quit missions in Chad and the Golan Heights.
"These three missions will end, notably because of budget cuts, but also because missions under United Nations” auspices are not among Poland”s priorities," Defense Minister Bogdan Klich said.
"EU and NATO missions are Poland”s priority," he added. A Polish contingent of 1,600 personnel is currently serving with other NATO troops in Afghanistan, and there have been reports that Poland is thinking of expanding its presence there to above 2,000.
Klich blamed the several peacekeeping withdrawals on the country”s financial situation in the wake of the global credit crisis. The Polish government recently announced spending cuts of around $5 billion.
Despite Klich”s announcement, Bouziane said the UN hadn”t received any specific notification of a planned Polish troop withdrawal.
The UNIFIL peacekeeping mission began in 1978.