U.N. Wants Better Protection for Golan Peacekeepers

U.N. leader Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday called for better protection for peacekeepers in the Golan Heights against the growing threat from Syria but said it was "essential" that the mission remain.

Ban made the call as Austrian troops started withdrawing from the U.N. Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) following attacks and abductions of peacekeepers. Croatia and Japan have also withdrawn in recent months.

U.N. troops monitoring the 1974 disengagement agreement between Syria and Israel traditionally only carry small arms.

Ban called on the U.N. Security Council to consider measures to beef up the force. "These include, as a matter of priority, enhancing the self-defense capabilities of UNDOF," he said in a report.

"It is also necessary to consider further adjustments to the posture and operations of the mission."

Diplomats said the improved protection would include more armored cars and body armor, and that the mission would cut back on patrols and perhaps close some observer positions.

The U.N. Security Council is to meet with troop contributing countries on Thursday and plans to vote on a new mandate for UNDOF on June 26.

Austria, the biggest single contributor to UNDOF, on Wednesday began withdrawing its troops, with about 70 soldiers from the 378-strong Austrian contingent entering Israel.

Ban is pressuring Austria to slow down the pullout so he can find replacements.

The Philippines, which has 341 troops in the Golan, is considering its future in the force. A number of Philippine troops have been abducted by Syrian rebel groups in recent incidents.

India is the only other current contributor, with 193 soldiers in UNDOF. The entire force in recent months had numbered just over 900 troops and Austria's withdrawal was a major blow, which Ban said he regretted.

Ban said the United Nations is "urgently" seeking reinforcements and that the force should be bolstered to 1,250 troops.

Fiji is sending 171 troops this month, who would replace the Croatian and Japanese contingents, according to the U.N. report.

Fiji has offered several hundred more soldiers, according to diplomats, but talks are still going on between the government and the United Nations.

As Syria's 26-month-old civil war has worsened, Israel has responded to shell and gun fire from the Syrian side, fueling fears of conflict spillover.

Ban said Syria was guilty of a "grave violation" of the ceasefire accord and that Israel was guilty of a "serious violation," warning that mounting tensions could "jeopardize" the agreement that formally separated the two sides following the 1973 Arab-Israeli war.

He added that because of the Syrian war and the decades-old conflict between the two countries, "under the prevailing circumstances, I consider the continued presence of UNDOF to be essential."