WASHINGTON Ñ The U.S. Defense Department continues to oppose a State Department proposal for the deployment of U.S. troops to serve as peacekeepers in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Administration sources said senior Pentagon officials have warned President George Bush against sending U.S. troops to serve in any international peacekeeping force. The administration is considering a United Nations and European Union proposal to form a peacekeeping mission that would separate Israeli and Palestinian forces and impose a ceasefire.

A proposal for a limited U.S. military presence has been supported by the State Department, Middle East Newsline reported. But the Pentagon has objected, saying U.S. military personnel is stretched and the American presence would draw attacks from Islamic insurgents.

"I'm a long way from seeing where peacekeepers fit into a plan," Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz said. "But if someone shows me how it happens, I think it's worth considering anything that might work in the situation."

Defense consultants said the United States would need between 10-20,000 troops to ensure a separation of forces as well as defend any peacekeeping contingent from Palestinian or Islamic attack. The consultants said the Pentagon is taking seriously threats of Islamic insurgency attacks on U.S. personnel.

Earlier, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld also expressed reservation over the deployment of U.S. troops in any Middle East peacekeeping mission.

Rumsfeld said he opposes the current use of American soldiers in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula. The United States has 960 troops in Sinai to monitor the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty.

Print this Article

Email this article

Free Headline Alerts