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U.N. Council Backs Machine Guns for Golan Peacekeepers
[An Nahar] The U.N. Security Council on Thursday backed U.N. peacekeepers in the Golan Heights carrying machine guns, as fallout from the Syria war increases in the ceasefire zone.Because nothing sez "keep the peace" like a machine gun. The 15-member council passed a resolution to extend the mandate of the force, which monitors a three-decade-old ceasefire between Syria and Israel, but which called on Syrian government and opposition fighters to stay out of the zone. The council strongly condemned three abductions of U.N. peacekeepers in the Golan since March and expressed "grave concern" at violations of the 1974 ceasefire accord. Members of the U.N. Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) and the U.N. Truce Supervision Organization were kidnapped by different opposition groups between March and May. Two peacekeepers have been maimed in shelling as  Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneckal-Assad Supressor of the Damascenes... 's forces attack rebels in the ceasefire zone. The council stressed the "need to enhance the safety and security" of peacekeepers, and endorsed U.N. leader  the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon... of whom it can be said to his credit that he is not Kofi Annan... '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 U.N. 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. Posted by: Fred 2013-06-28 |
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