The United Nations is temporarily depleting its peacekeeping and truce-observer forces in Lebanon and the Golan Heights to help staff the newly formed multinational observer force on the Iraq-Kuwait border.
A convoy of 100 white-painted vehicles of the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon crossed the Allenby Bridge from the West Bank into Jordan last week on the first leg of a three-day overland journey to Iraq.
UNIFIL is providing 680 infantry and support troops, the largest component of the 1,400-strong U.N. Iraq-Kuwait Observation Force, known by the acronym UNIKOM, which will replace American and allied troops overseeing the cease-fire that ended the Persian Gulf war.
The U.N. troops in Iraq will protect 300 unarmed cease-fire observers from 30 countries.
About 100 members of the UNIFIL headquarters and logistics division left Nakoura, Lebanon, on the border with Israel, on April 24. They flew to Kuwait from Ben-Gurion Airport.
Other troops to be stationed in Iraq are being drawn from U.N. forces in the Golan Heights and Cyprus.
UNIFIL, with 5,800 troops from nine countries, has been the largest U.N. peacekeeping force in the region since it was deployed in 1978.
UNIFIL spokesman Timor Goksel said adjustments would be made to compensate for the loss of personnel. He said the temporary absence of troops would not affect UNIFIL operations.
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