Last update - 00:00 13/09/2006
Germany to send up to 2,400 service personnel to Lebanon
By The Associated Press
Germany's government voted Wednesday to send warships to the eastern Mediterranean as part of the expanded UN peacekeeping force for
Lebanon.
The Cabinet approved the deployment of a naval task force including two
frigates and up to 2,400 service personnel to prevent arms shipments to
Hezbollah militants and help Lebanese forces secure their borders, Peter Struck, head of the Social Democrat faction in the assembly, said.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the commitment stemmed from Germany's historical commitment to the Jewish state.
"This decision was made in view both of our particular responsibility for Israel's right to exist, and for a solid solution for peace in the region," Merkel told reporters.
Merkel's Cabinet was to discuss the mission on Wednesday morning.
Parliament, which must also approve the deployment, is to vote on it next week. Merkel's conservatives and their Social Democrat coalition partners hold a large majority.
Germany has offered to send warships to help enforce the UN-brokered cease-fire that in August ended a month of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah militants.
The ships are supposed to prevent arms shipments from reaching Hezbollah and other militant groups - a key requirement of the UN cease-fire resolution.
Berlin has already begun sending customs officers and border guards to advise Lebanese officials on how to tighten checks on traffic at Beirut airport and Lebanese seaports.
However, it has refused to follow other European nations in sending combat troops to Lebanon, saying its Nazi past precludes putting German soldiers in a situation where they might have to confront Israeli forces.
French, Italian and Greek ships began patrolling the Lebanese coast last week, helping persuade Israel to lift its sea blockade of the country.
A naval task force led by Germany, and including ships from several other European countries, is expected to replace them within two months.
Russia to send up to 400 soldiers to Lebanon
Russia will send up to 400 troops to Lebanon by early October to help rebuild the country following the war between Hezbollah and Israel, Defense Minister Sergey Ivanov said on Wednesday.
Ivanov said Russia would also send one or two platoons to serve as armed guards for reconstruction after the 34-day war in Lebanon.
He did not say how big the armed force would be.
"We would like to send our battalion to Lebanon in late September or early October. This battalion will number some 350 to 400 men," Ivanov said on Russian television.
Ivanov has also said that the battalion would include experts at disarming unexploded ordnance, as well as engineers to evaluate the damage inflicted on Lebanese roads and bridges.
The Russian soldiers will work independently of the UN peacekeeping force, and will instead concentrate on rebuilding bridges and infrastructure.
A Russian military plane arrived in Beirut on Wednesday carrying 31 members of the Russian contingent. A second plane brought equipment.
Ivanov had said Monday that an advance team would travel to Lebanon this week.
Russia accused Israel of using excessive force in its 34-day war in Lebanon, which caused widespread damage to Lebanon's infrastructure and left unexploded bombs and other weaponry scattered throughout the country.