http://www.iviews.com/scripts/news_page/15Oct1999/132821.htm
Israel is building a new army post for the SLA in south Lebanon
JERUSALEM, Oct 14, 1999 (AFP) - Israel is building a new army
post for its proxy militia, the South Lebanon Army
(SLA), on the northern border of the occupied zone in
Lebanon, a senior army official told AFP on Thursday.
"Israel is building a new post for the SLA at a cost of
100,000 US dollars,
said the official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
"The post is on the northern border of the eastern
sector of the security zone," he added.
Israel is strengthening the SLA as tension and
uncertainty rises in the buffer zone as a result of
Prime Minister Ehud Barak's promise to withdraw Israeli
troops from the region by July 2000.
According to Israeli officials, the Jewish state
increased the salaries of SLA men by 50 US dollars at
the beginning of October. Militia men on the front line
now receive 500 US dollars a month while others receive
some 400 US dollars.
Israel spends some 12 million US dollars a year on
civilian infrastructure in the occupied zone.
Many SLA men who fear for their future if the Israeli
army withdraws unilaterally are trying to get foreign
passports and to seek asylum in Israel according to
Israeli army officials.
If "Israel is not going to ensure the safety of the SLA
men and their families, some may join Hezbollah out of
fear for their future," an SLA militia man who asked
not to be identified told AFP last week.
The Shiite Muslim Hezbollah spearheads resistance to
the Israeli presence in south Lebanon, and frequently
clashes with Israeli and SLA troops.
The SLA, which was created by Israel, has some 2,500
men in its force. Israeli media reported last week that
500 men had already been offered asylum in Israel in
the case of a unilateral withdrawal, but there has been
no official confirmation of the report.
Colonel Rafic Said who commands the Israeli army's
assistance unit to Lebanon told AFP Thursday that
"there are no problems with the SLA but many of the
residents of the security zone are sitting on the
fence."
Inhabitants of the zone are uncertain about what fate
they may encounter in the event of an Israeli
withdrawal.
Eyewitness reports of preparations for an Israeli
withdrawal from parts of the occupied zone -- in
particular Hasbaya, in the eastern sector -- have been
appearing in the Lebanese media for the last three
days.
However, SLA head General Antoine Lahad appeared
Thursday on Middle East Television, which broadcasts
from the occupied zone, to dismiss the reports.
"Contrary to reports put out by the Lebanese and
Israeli media, there will be no retreat, either full or
partial, without an agreement," he said.
Israel says it occupies the border strip inside south
Lebanon in order to prevent attacks from guerrilla
movements on northern Israel.
Barak has vowed to withdraw from the zone by July 2000
but it is not clear whether he will reach an agreement
with Syria, the main power broker in Lebanon and with
the Lebanese government before that date.
Copyright (c) 1999, AFP
