‘Troops for UN force only if all parties agree’: Participation to be considered: Kasuri
DUBAI, Aug 18: Pakistan will mull a possible participation in a UN force in south Lebanon but will only send troops if they will be ‘welcomed’ by all parties to the conflict, Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri said on Friday.
“We are looking at how the UN Security Council resolution (that halted month-long fighting between Israel and Hezbollah) is unfolding,” he told reporters in Dubai, where he stopped over on his way home after visits to Lebanon and Syria.
Mr Kasuri, who made the visits as part of a contact group of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference, said that during talks in Beirut earlier this week, Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora stated that “he would be very happy if Pakistan were to contribute troops” to the force.
“He mentioned Pakistan, Turkey and Malaysia in particular,” Mr Kasuri said.
“I will be reporting to the president and the prime minister and we will then study the situation,” he said.
The minister said that in addition to watching the implementation of Resolution 1701, Pakistan would be “looking at the internal Lebanese dialogue” and gauging public opinion at home before deciding whether it would participate in the force.
“Pakistan is the world’s largest contributor to peacekeeping operations ... If we can help in Congo and other parts of Africa, Lebanon is closer home ... (But) we would only go if we felt that our troops would be genuinely welcomed by all parties,” he said.
Mr Kasuri warned that events such as the devastating Israeli offensive against Lebanon were ‘radicalising’ the Muslim world.
“When Muslims perceive that they are on the receiving end and the international community doesn’t really care, then they feel that they must take matters into their own hands.
“If the great powers wish to discourage non-state actors ... they must bring in greater international legitimacy” and not apply UN resolutions ‘selectively’, he said.
A resolution that would bring about a viable Palestinian state living in peace alongside Israel is ‘the one single issue’ which would have a very positive impact on the region, he added.—AFP
