More French Troops Arrive In Lebanon
Joseph S. Mayton - All Headline News Middle East Correspondent Beirut, Lebanon (AHN) - More than 150 French troops arrived in Southern Lebanon on Friday, a day after French President Jacque Chirac announced Paris will send up to 2,000 more troops to the war-torn nation. Lebanese officials welcomed the move, saying they believe the decision will help bring other European nations to the table in order to deploy more troops. "Undoubtedly, the French decision will help boost European participation," Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora said in a statement. The troops docked at the southern port town of Naqoura Friday morning. The soldiers are engineers charged with responsibilities that include reconstruction and the diffusing of unexploded ordnances. "In turn, this will help speed up the formation of the international force, which along with the Lebanese army, will protect civilians and achieve security and stability," Siniora added. The UN resolution to end the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah has called for an expansion of the peacekeeping force in Lebanon from 2,000 to 15,000 in order to oversee the tenuous ceasefire that went into effect August 14.
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