Word: un
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...more than a week, officials at France's Foreign and Defence Ministries have been doing a valiant but thankless spin job trying to justify France's miserly contribution to the beefed-up UN peacekeeping force for south Lebanon. An additional 200 men was regularly touted as "a doubling of the French UN contingent," and much was made of the 1700 military personnel offshore on French ships shuttling refugees to Cyprus. " We're the only country that has sent any new troops to UNIFIL so far," bristled one Defense Ministry official earlier this week. "The Americans are nowhere to be seen...
...spinners' jobs became easier Thursday night when President Jacques Chirac, the final arbiter of French foreign policy, said he was committing another two French battalions - 1,600 troops - to the UN mission. Chirac, in a televised address against the lush background of the Elysee Palace, said he had upped the number after receiving clarifications from the UN that the force's chain of command would be " simple and direct" and assurances from Lebanon and Israel "that French troops would be able to fulfil their mission on the ground...
...Bramble fetches Mark Williams, at 45 the group's young 'un. A while ago, Williams' employer let him go with a good payout, and he decided to live modestly and not work again. Separated from his wife and children, he lives alone in Cundle Flat-an hour's ride west of Taree. For Williams, the rides with Bramble's group these past two years have been a weekly highlight. It's the camaraderie, he says, and the joy of riding, in his case atop a BMW 1200 GS. Williams has loaded a digital music player with the bands he loved...
...UN peacekeepers in south Lebanon estimate there are 800 to 1,000 Hizballah fighters at the frontline along the border, mainly operating in small groups of 15 to 20. They will be drawn from the local villages and therefore able to take advantage of their knowledge of the local terrain. The fighters will all be known to each other as well and this personal and local knowledge has been exploited by Hizballah for a simple yet effective code over their walkie-talkies...
...wife, Rabab, and four-year-old son, Hassan, survived and were being treated in another hospital. A former student of Islam, Mohammed says that his faith will sustain him. "We believe in God. We have a history of sacrifice and martyrdom," he says. In 1996, the massacre at the UN base in Qana galvanized the West to arrange a ceasefire. But few residents here appear to hold out much hope that the fighting will end soon, blaming the US for its support for Israel's onslaught against Hizballah. "They talk about a new Middle East," Mohammed says. "We saw what...