The United Nations has turned down an
offer from Russia to provide replacement troops for the Austrians being withdrawn from the United Nations Disengagement Observation Force (UNDOF) on the Golan Heights. The disengagement agreement between Israel and Syria
precludes the use of troops from countries that have a Security Council veto.
Putin offered troops after Austria decided to
withdraw its 377 soldiers from the UN Disengagement Observer Force
(UNDOF) between Syria and Israel because of growing spillover from the
Syria conflict.
However, UN spokesman Martin Nesirky said later on
Friday that Russia was banned from taking part in the force because it
is one of five permanent members of the UN Security Council.
"We appreciate the consideration that Russia has
given to provide troops on the Golan. However, the disengagement
agreement and its protocol between Syria and Israel does not allow for
the participation of permanent members of the security council in
UNDOF," Nesirky told reporters, according to AFP.
DEBKA speculates that
Russian troops will show up in Syria eventually.
The Russian president knew perfectly well that Israel and most likely
the UN would bar his offer of Russian troops for the Golan force on
legal grounds: The 1974 ceasefire accord precludes the five,
veto-wielding UN Secretary Council permanent members from serving with
the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF). He put the offer forward
nonetheless for two reasons:
1. As a reminder to the US and Chinese Presidents Obama and Xi
Jinping, holding their first face to face in California, that neither of
them controlled the state of play over embattled Syria and that Russia
held the whip hand by virtue of its leadership of the
Iranian-Syrian-Iraqi-Hizballah alliance.
2. As the groundwork for his next moves for deploying Russian troops on
the Syrian Golan. Next time, he won’t ask the US, the UN or Israel for
permission. He will go straight to his ally, Syrian President Bashar
Assad in Damascus, and advise him of the importance of deploying Russian
soldiers to the Golan – on the same footing as the US military
deployment in Jordan. Placing the unit just outside the Golan separation
zone would save Moscow having to turn to the UN or Israel first.
Hmmm.
No comments:
Post a Comment