Lebanon-Israel-UNIFIL.

--Netanyahu Requests Extension of Graziano's Term--Report

--Spain Angry at Netanyahu's "Intrusion", Italy to React Monday

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly telephoned his Italian counterpart Silvio Berlusconi and requested that Italian Commander Claudio Graziano remain as head of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), according to the leftist daily AS SAFIR on Friday. The paper reported that news of the telephone call was leaked to Israeli media as the issue becomes more and more controversial. Graziano's term is set to end in the next few weeks, when he is expected to return to Italy, with Spain set to take over leadership of UNIFIL. The report in AS SAFIR asked on Friday why Israel leaked the telephone call to the media. "It's important to determine whether leaking news of the telephone call will increase the chances of Graziano's term being extended or decrease them," the paper said. "Israel risked diplomatic tensions with Spain by making the telephone call to Berlusconi," the paper added. The report said that there were tensions between the Israeli army and the foreign ministry, as the ministry did not want to make public Israel's wishes to extend Graziano's term in order to avoid controversy. It was still unclear, according to reports, whether Israel really wants to extend Graziano's term. It was reported that Graziano himself was also "surprised and angered" at the leak, after he was told by Lebanese authorities that the chances for an extension to his term were quite high--Graziano thus saw the leak as an Israeli attempt to prevent his term from being extended.

While UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, after consulting with his aides, is the decisionmaker regarding the appointment, the paper reported that the opinions of Israel and Lebanon are also taken prior to the decision being made. It remains unclear, however, whether Graziano's term will indeed be extended or not, especially after what Lebanese papers on Friday called "the Israeli maneuver." Controversy was further fuelled on Friday as AS SAFIR reported that the telephone conversation that Netanyahu had with Berlusconi was "so secret that even the Italian foreign ministry didn't know about it."

Intrusion

The Beirut daily AN NAHAR reported Friday that Spanish diplomatic sources were angry at Netanyahu's "intrusion" on the matter. Spanish Prime Minister Jose Zapatero was reportedly also informed by Netanyahu that Israel "prefers" Graziano head UNIFIL for six more months. Spanish diplomatic sources were reportedly "surprised, baffled and angered" at how Netanyahu "not only intruded and asked for Graziano's term to be extended, but also specified a timeframe for the extension."

Italy on Monday

Sources said that Italy's position on Netanyahu's telephone call was to be made clearer on Monday, when Italian President Giorgio Napolitano is set to meet his Lebanese counterpart Michel Suleiman as part of an official visit by the former to Lebanon, AN NAHAR reported Friday. Rome has not officially consulted with other countries on Netanyahu's request yet because "it is still too early, and in any case the decision is one for Ban to make, and not Italy."

AN NAHAR reported that the reason for Netanyahu's telephone call was because of Graziano's "vast experience with UNIFIL and in order to avoid controversy over the next UNIFIL commander. Spanish officials were not "convinced" by Netanyahu's request, however, and the paper reported that a diplomatic showdown between Europe on one side and the US and Israel on the other over Graziano's term was expected "soon."