Alain Pellegrini
Encyclopedia
Alain Pellegrini is a French
general.
A former student of the École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr
, Pellegrini graduated from general staff schools before being appointed in Africa and the Middle East, and commanding a regiment of the troupes de marine
in Fréjus
. He served as adviser to the Defence Minister of Benin
, and as the Defence Attaché at the French Embassy in Beirut
. He took part to both the UNPROFOR and the IFOR
in 1995 and 96, and worked for the implentation of the Dayton Agreement
in Sarajevo
and Mostar
.
In 2000, as a colonel, he headed the Africa and Middle East Division at the Direction du Renseignement Militaire (Military Intelligence Directorate) in Paris.
From July 2001, he was counsellor of the Chef d’état-major des armées (CEMA, Chief of Staff of the French army) for Africa and Middle East.
On 26 January 2004, he took command of the UNIFIL, succeeding to General Lalit Mohan Tewari.
On 25 July 2006, a UN observation post was attacked by Israeli forces after Israel claimed that Hezbollah fired rockets from the position. An Israeli plane bombed the post with a precision-guided bomb, and Israeli artillery shelled the post 14 times within six hours. A total of four UN observers were killed. General Pellegrini said that the attack was "probably deliberate", and that he had personally phoned the Israelis "five or six times" without being able to reach past secretaries. Israel, however, maintains that Hezbollah had launched rockets in the vicinity, and four Hezbollah fighters had taken shelter in a bunker under the position.
Following a number of incidents between UN peacekeepers and Israeli fighter jets, Pellegrini warned that the Israeli flights over Lebanon violated the cease fire resolution, and threatened that force may be used to stop the incursions.
On the 2 February 2007 Pellegrini passed the command of the UNIFIL to the Italian General Claudio Graziano.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
general.
A former student of the École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr
École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr
The École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr is the foremost French military academy. Its official name is . It is often referred to as Saint-Cyr . Its motto is "Ils s'instruisent pour vaincre": literally "They study to vanquish" or "Training for victory"...
, Pellegrini graduated from general staff schools before being appointed in Africa and the Middle East, and commanding a regiment of the troupes de marine
Troupes de marine
The or Infanterie de marine, formerly Troupes coloniales, are an arm of the French Army with a colonial heritage. The Troupes de marine have a dedicated overseas service role. Despite their title they have been a part of the Army since 1958...
in Fréjus
Fréjus
Fréjus is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.It neighbours Saint-Raphaël, effectively forming one town...
. He served as adviser to the Defence Minister of Benin
Benin
Benin , officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It borders Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east and Burkina Faso and Niger to the north. Its small southern coastline on the Bight of Benin is where a majority of the population is located...
, and as the Defence Attaché at the French Embassy in Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
. He took part to both the UNPROFOR and the IFOR
IFOR
The Implementation Force was a NATO-led multinational peacekeeping force in Bosnia and Herzegovina under a one-year mandate from 20 December 1995 to 20 December 1996 under the codename Operation Joint Endeavour. Its task was to implement the military Annexes of The General Framework Agreement for...
in 1995 and 96, and worked for the implentation of the Dayton Agreement
Dayton Agreement
The General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina, also known as the Dayton Agreement, Dayton Accords, Paris Protocol or Dayton-Paris Agreement, is the peace agreement reached at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio in November 1995, and formally signed in Paris on...
in Sarajevo
Sarajevo
Sarajevo |Bosnia]], surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans....
and Mostar
Mostar
Mostar is a city and municipality in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the largest and one of the most important cities in the Herzegovina region and the center of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation. Mostar is situated on the Neretva river and is the fifth-largest city in the country...
.
In 2000, as a colonel, he headed the Africa and Middle East Division at the Direction du Renseignement Militaire (Military Intelligence Directorate) in Paris.
From July 2001, he was counsellor of the Chef d’état-major des armées (CEMA, Chief of Staff of the French army) for Africa and Middle East.
On 26 January 2004, he took command of the UNIFIL, succeeding to General Lalit Mohan Tewari.
On 25 July 2006, a UN observation post was attacked by Israeli forces after Israel claimed that Hezbollah fired rockets from the position. An Israeli plane bombed the post with a precision-guided bomb, and Israeli artillery shelled the post 14 times within six hours. A total of four UN observers were killed. General Pellegrini said that the attack was "probably deliberate", and that he had personally phoned the Israelis "five or six times" without being able to reach past secretaries. Israel, however, maintains that Hezbollah had launched rockets in the vicinity, and four Hezbollah fighters had taken shelter in a bunker under the position.
Following a number of incidents between UN peacekeepers and Israeli fighter jets, Pellegrini warned that the Israeli flights over Lebanon violated the cease fire resolution, and threatened that force may be used to stop the incursions.
On the 2 February 2007 Pellegrini passed the command of the UNIFIL to the Italian General Claudio Graziano.