Rules of engagement for United Nations peacekeepers in south Lebanon were still being finalised yesterday as it emerged that Ireland would not be part of the "first wave" of up to 3,500 troops.
Vijay Nambiar, special adviser to UN secretary general Kofi Annan, said during a visit to Beirut: "The finalised details perhaps will come out in the next few days."
The timetable for the mission envisaged the "first wave" being on the ground by the end of the month but Ireland will not be part of this. Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern told The Irish Times at the weekend: "We would not be in the first wave, that would be for the larger contingents."
Pointing out that the the situation was extremely difficult, Mr Ahern said Ireland had "stepped up to the plate in the past" in south Lebanon but current circumstances were "somewhat different".
The proposed new force of 15,000 would be much larger than before and the Irish would therefore constitute a "much smaller" element this time. "It would be for the larger contingents to go in, in the first phase." Afterwards the smaller contributors would find their "niche".
Mr Ahern said he had alerted the Taoiseach last week to the possibility that the Dáil might have to be recalled to approve a Lebanon mission, but he stressed that the Government was proceeding cautiously. "The last thing we want to be involved in is a recurrence of conflict." Describing the situation as a tinderbox, he said there would have to be maximum clarification on how the UN force would operate.