The UN’s Golan Force Tries to Survive
There have been interesting developments recently in the saga of the UN’s endangered Golan Heights peacekeeping force. The withdrawal of several troop-contributing states has left the UN scrambling for replacements. But some outlets are reporting that Fiji–a regular contributor to peacekeeping operations–might step in. Meanwhile, the UN is reportedly leaning on Austria to slow down ...
There have been interesting developments recently in the saga of the UN's endangered Golan Heights peacekeeping force. The withdrawal of several troop-contributing states has left the UN scrambling for replacements. But some outlets are reporting that Fiji--a regular contributor to peacekeeping operations--might step in. Meanwhile, the UN is reportedly leaning on Austria to slow down the departure of its troops. Via Al Arabiya:
There have been interesting developments recently in the saga of the UN’s endangered Golan Heights peacekeeping force. The withdrawal of several troop-contributing states has left the UN scrambling for replacements. But some outlets are reporting that Fiji–a regular contributor to peacekeeping operations–might step in. Meanwhile, the UN is reportedly leaning on Austria to slow down the departure of its troops. Via Al Arabiya:
The U.N. has asked Vienna to keep soldiers in the buffer zone between Syria and Israel until the end of July, a month longer than the four-week timetable Austria gave when it announced on June 6 it was recalling its forces.
“We are still going to pull out, but the question of how and when has to be negotiated with the U.N.,” Spindelegger told reporters.
The defense ministry, however, has said the withdrawal would go as planned.
Spindelegger said Austria’s troop commitment accord stipulated that any exit from the Golan, where the Philippines and India also have troops, requires three months’ notice.
“These three months would end on Sept. 6. The offer from the U.N. says July 31. Now we, together with the defense ministry, have to see that we reach a joint withdrawal plan with the U.N. that heeds everyone’s interests,” he said.
David Bosco is a professor at Indiana University’s Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies. He is the author of The Poseidon Project: The Struggle to Govern the World’s Oceans. Twitter: @multilateralist
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