Report: US $400 million to compensate services of the SLA

The military commentator of the Israeli daily Yediot Ahronot said that Israel will invest some 700 million Israeli shekels (approximately US $175 million) in an operation aimed at compensating and resettling members of the pro-Israel South Lebanon Army militia following Israel's pullout from Lebanon.

He said that this sum was ratified during interventions took place in the past few days with the coordinator of the Israeli activities in south Lebanon, Uri Lubrani.

This compensation included giving sums to 2,500 men who are serving in the militia, as well as to another 500 men who work at the civil department established by Israel in south Lebanon and to several hundreds of families of SLA killed members.

The Israeli paper indicated the importance of taking into account that sums allotted in the framework of the unilateral pullout plan double the sums that were allotted for a pullout plan from Lebanon with an agreement. The paper continued that this increase in compensation will increase the costs of the Israeli forces' redeployment so as the total cost will be 1.5 billion Shekels (US $400 million).

Meanwhile, the Israeli daily Maariv said that the SLA militia has started a campaign to recruit volunteers in an attempt to increase its number in preparation for the withdrawal of the Israeli Army.

The Israeli paper said that the statements of militial leader Antoine Lahd on the continued presence of these SLA militias in south Lebanon after the pullout of the Israeli forces led to a wave of backing and to consolidating SLA positions in the security belt. Lahd has decided to use and exploit this backing in his attempt to recruit others. The new recruited soldiers will serve in the units of the "national guards."

The Israeli paper also quoted SLA sources as saying that hundreds have so far joined the new units.

It is, however, not ruled out that talk about compensations was the motive behind this new recruitment.