By John Irish and Michelle Nichols
PARIS/UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) -France and Britain, in coordination with the United States, are working to finalise a U.N. Security Council resolution in the coming days that would lay the foundation for a future international force in Gaza, France said on Thursday.
With a shaky U.S.-mediated ceasefire between Israel and Hamas holding, planning has begun for an international force to stabilize security in the Palestinian enclave, two senior U.S. advisers said on Wednesday.
Speaking to reporters in Paris, French Foreign Ministry spokesperson Pascal Confavreux said such a force needed a U.N. mandate to provide a strong foundation in international law and ease the process of getting potential contributions from countries.
“France is working closely with its partners on the establishment of such an international mission, which must be formalised through the adoption of a U.N. Security Council resolution,” he said.
UN RESOLUTION BEING DISCUSSED WITH AMERICANS
“Discussions, notably with the Americans and British, are ongoing to propose this resolution in the coming days.”
Paris hosted talks with other European and Arab powers on October 10 to flesh out ideas for Gaza’s post-war transition, including how an international force could take shape.
Diplomats said the stabilisation force would not be a formal United Nations peacekeeping force paid for by the world body.
Instead, a Security Council resolution could mirror action taken by the 15-member body to back the deployment of an international force to combat armed gangs in Haiti.
That resolution spells out and authorizes the mission and states contributing to the force to “take all necessary measures” – code for the use of force – to carry out the mandate.
“The stabilisation force will take some time,” British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told parliament on Tuesday. “The terms of reference are still being drawn up. There is a United Nations Security Council resolution on the establishment of the force, or I hope there will be, but the wider terms of reference are not yet agreed.”
INDONESIA PREVIOUSLY OFFERED 20,000 TROOPS
Among the countries the U.S. is speaking to about contributing to the force are Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Qatar, and Azerbaijan, the advisers said on condition of anonymity. There are also currently up to two dozen U.S. troops in the region to help set up the operation, serving in a “coordination, oversight” role, they said.
Italy has publicly said it was willing to take part.
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto told the United Nations General Assembly on September 23 that if there was a U.N. resolution, Indonesia was prepared to deploy 20,000 or more troops in Gaza to help secure peace.
The 193-member U.N. General Assembly last month overwhelmingly voted to endorse a declaration that aimed to advance a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians, which supports the deployment of a temporary international stabilization mission mandated by the U.N. Security Council.
(Reporting by John IrishEditing by Rod Nickel)
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