Turkey To Deploy Troops To Lebanon
Joseph S. Mayton - All Headline News Middle East Correspondent Beirut, Lebanon (AHN) - Turkey has agreed to send troops to the United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon, Ankara announced Monday. The NATO member has not said how many troops will be sent. "The UN peace force issue was discussed and it was decided in principle that we participate in the mission," Justice Minister and government spokesman Cemil Cicek told a news conference after a cabinet meeting. Turkey has amicable relations with Israel and Arab states, which should make the secular Muslim nation a welcome addition to the UN force in south Lebanon. The ruling party in Turkey seeks to increase Ankara's presence in the region despite concerns from the staunchly secularist President Ahmet Necdet Sezer who worry about the ambiguities of sending troops to Lebanon. The decision comes as UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan embarks on a eight nation tour of the region beginning in Beirut aimed at securing the ceasefire holds between Israel and Hezbollah.
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