UN Council backs machine guns for Golan peacekeepers

 News
Jun 282013
 

1:17 pm | Friday, June 28th, 2013

An Israeli army Armored Personnel Carrier (APC) maneuvers during a military exercise near the northern border with Syria on June 25, 2013 in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights. INQUIRER file photo

UNITED NATIONS—The UN Security Council on Thursday backed UN peacekeepers in the Golan Heights carrying machine guns, as fallout from the Syria war increases in the ceasefire zone.

The council passed a resolution to extend the mandate of the force, where the Philippines has the biggest contingent, until the end of the year. It also called on Syrian government and opposition fighters to stay out of the zone where peacekeepers monitor a three-decade-old ceasefire between Syria and Israel.

The 15-member council strongly condemned three abductions of UN peacekeepers in the Golan since March and expressed “grave concern” at violations of the 1974 ceasefire accord.

Members of the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) and the UN Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO) were kidnapped by different opposition groups between March and May.

Two peacekeepers have been wounded in shelling as President Bashar al-Assad’s forces attack rebels in the ceasefire zone.

The council stressed the “need to enhance the safety and security” of peacekeepers, and endorsed UN leader Ban Ki-moon’s changes to the mission’s operations to “enhance the self-defense capabilities of UNDOF.”

The council resolution did not set out the measures. But UN officials and diplomats say that UNDOF peacekeepers, who traditionally only carry very light arms, will get machine guns, extra body armor and more armored vehicles.

UNDOF has already halted night patrols in the Golan and it will close some observation posts and strengthen those that stay open.

Japan and Croatia have withdrawn their UNDOF contingents and Austria is pulling out its 377 troops by the end of July. That leaves about 340 Filipino troops and 190 Indians in the force.

Fiji has started sending 500 troops that will get UNDOF back above 900 soldiers. But the UN peacekeeping department is looking for more to get it to 1,250.

Britain’s UN ambassador Mark Lyall Grant, Security Council president for June, said the UN was negotiating with European countries, among others.

Diplomats said Scandinavian countries are considering sending troops to the Golan which had been relatively quiet until the Syrian conflict started in March 2011.

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Tags: Armed conflict , Filipino peacekeepers , Golan Heights , Israel , Syria , UN

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Philippines says Syrian rebels firm on hostage demands

 News
Mar 082013
 
Philippines says Syrian rebels firm on hostage demands

Agence France-Presse 2:14 pm | Friday, March 8th, 2013 MANILA, Philippines–The Department of Foreign Affairs said Friday that rebels who are holding 21 Filipino peacekeepers hostage in the Golan Heights are insisting Syrian troops leave the area before releasing their captives. The refusal by the Syrian rebels to compromise had dampened hopes of the UN peacekeepers being released quickly, and forced the government to step up its negotiation efforts, foreign affairs spokesman Raul Hernandez said. “The demand of the rebels for the re-positioning of Syrian forces in the area of Jamla is still outstanding so this is still being worked out,” he said on ABS-CBN television. The rebels want the Syrian troops to move 20 kilometers (12 miles) back from Jamla, an area in the Golan’s ceasefire zone, before they will free the Filipinos, he said. “That is the main demand of the rebel group,” he told AFP, adding he did not know of any other conditions. The Philippine government had previously received information that raised hopes the 21 would be released on Friday morning, Philippine time, and the government now did not know if or when they would be freed, Hernandez said. “We are trying to intensify our negotiations with the rebel groups,” he said. However he said the Filipino peacekeepers were still being treated well. “(They are) being treated as guests and are unharmed,” Hernandez said. The 21 Filipino troops, members of the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) observing a 1974 ceasefire between Syria and Israel, were abducted Read More …

PHL calls for immediate and safe release of Filipino peacekeepers

 Entertainment
Mar 072013
 
PHL calls for immediate and safe release of Filipino peacekeepers

( United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations) The  Philippine  Government  has  received  confirmation  from  the  United Nations  Department  of  Peacekeeping  Operations  that  21  Filipino peacekeepers  assigned  to  the  United  Nations  Disengagement  Observer Force  (UNDOF)  in  the  Golan  Heights  have  been  detained  by  an  armed group. All Filipino peacekeepers are reported to be unharmed and that negotiations are underway to secure their safe release. The Government is likewise coordinating closely with the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations on the matter. The Philippine Government is calling for the immediate release of 21 Filipino peacekeepers who are part of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) in the Golan Heights. “The main concern of the Philippine Government at this time is to ensure the safety and well-being of our peacekeepers. We wish to reiterate that UNDOF’s freedom of movement and safety and security must be respected by all parties in the area,” Secretary of Foreign Affairs Albert F. del Rosario said.