HEZBOLLAH GUN CONTROL

President Bush was on target when he said at a news conference yesterday “the need is urgent,” for a quick deployment of an international force in southern Lebanon. But he missed, intentionally, when asked whether that force would be the one to disarm Hezbollah. There is, as of yet, no answer to that question, and the uncertainty is contributing to Europe’s reluctance to act.

The cease-fire, already breached in part by Israel, was jeopardized further Monday when Lebanon Defense Minister Elias Murr warned that with Hezbollah committed to not restarting the war any rockets fired into Israel would be seen as an attempt to justify Israeli retaliation. That presents Israel with an impossible situation and makes the necessity of a large international force in southern Lebanon all the more apparent.

As a close ally to Israel, the United States won’t be the leader of the force and therefore not the one to disarm Hezbollah. Instead, the president properly emphasized the U.S. role of logistics support and contributions of humanitarian aid – $230 million – to the region.

The nation that should be leading the force, however, is also remaining in the background to the extent that it can: France, which helped write the cease-fire, could muster only 200 peacekeepers for the 15,000-person force. Its decision has influenced other nations and slowed the progress that is badly needed.

That makes Hezbollah look all the more fearsome while making UN resolutions seem all the more pointless. UN Resolutions in 2004 and earlier this month require the disarmament of Hezbollah, but they named no country or organization that is supposed to do it. Now is the time for the United States and other nations that say they support the democracy in Lebanon to persuade, cajole, arm-twist others into signing up troops and aid for the southern Lebanon.

We don’t pretend to know the proper number of troops, but if 15,000 were needed with Hezbollah disarmed, considerably more will be necessary if the group will keep its weapons. Italy seems to be the lead European nation so far, pledging a couple thousand troops; Israel understandably has rejected offers of troops from nations that do not recognize its right to exist.

But peace of any lasting sort will be established only when all nations in the region are willing to pursue it. The United States could help by expanding talks to include Syria and Iran and confronting diplomatically what fighting could not address over the last month.