UN SOURCES in Lebanon have rejected an Israeli army attempt to disclaim responsibility for the mine explosion which caused an Irish UN soldier to lose part of his leg and injured five others:
A spokesman for the Israeli De fence Forces (IDF) was quoted yesterday as denying UN charges that barbed wire and warning signs had been removed from the minefield around the Irish UN observation position at Beit Yahoun.
"The minefield was marked and surrounded by barbed wire. The Israeli army rejects UNIFIL accusations that it was responsible for this accident," the IDF spokesman was reported by Reuter as saying.
The IDF statement apparently ignores the fact that an Israeli mine clearance operation was carried out last Thursday after the IDF had given an assurance on June 18th that it would remove the minefield.
An Israeli armoured bulldozer arrived at the minefield last Thursday and drove through the minefield in a path to the Irish post setting off 13 mines.
The bulldozing was described as a "crude" or ineffective method of mine clearance, and Irish ordnance and engineering officers moved in on Friday to clear the remaining mines. They discovered and disposed of four unexploded mines on Friday and found a further eight on Saturday.
They were about to blow up the eight mines when Private Gary Maloney (23), of Ennis, Co Clare, was caught by another unexploded antipersonnel mine. He lost his left leg below the knee and suffered injuries to his right ankle. Five other Irish soldiers suffered less serious shrapnel injuries.
The UNIFIL spokesman, Mr Timur Goksel, yesterday criticised the Israeli military and the allied South Lebanon Army for having previously announced that a road through the minefield had been cleared at the request of the peacekeepers.
UN sources pointed out that agreement to clear the minefield, which blocked road communications to the Irish UN post, had been reached between UNIFIL and the Israelis at their meeting on June 18th. According to a UN communication, an assurance was given by the IDF at that meeting that they would lift the minefield immediately".
There was no indication, yesterday that the Government intends to make any formal protest to Israel over the incident.
Private Maloney was one of a group of soldiers who were attempting to make the track from Post 620 in Beit Yahoun safe so that road communications could be reestablished. The Israelis mined the area surrounding the UN position in February, in response to attacks by the Islamic group Hizbullah on one of their forts nearby. Since February the post has had to be supplied by helicopter.
Meanwhile, a four day conference is being held in Brussels, starting today, to seek support for, the Ottawa Treaty on banning the use of landmines. Governments and humanitarian organisations will be represented at the conference.