Italian Troops Head To Lebanon
Joseph S. Mayton - All Headline News Middle East Correspondent Beirut, Lebanon (AHN) - Italian troops have left for Lebanon as part of a deployment to buttress the UN peacekeeping mission in the country. The 800 troops are part of what Rome calls a "long and risky" mission in Lebanon. Italy has send they will send a total of 3,000 troops to the country, making them the largest contributor to the UN force in Lebanon. Rome was also key in getting other European member states to join the mission in Lebanon after many nations were apprehensive about sending soldiers due to the ambiguities of the mission. "We Italians are proud of you and we are certain that thanks to your efforts, a country that has been marked by pain will find hopes of peace," Prime Minister Romano Prodi told the troops aboard their aircraft carrier. Europe has offered up to 7,000 troops for the peace mission in Lebanon, with France offering at minimum 2,000. This comes after Paris initially offered only 200 soldiers for the peacekeeping efforts.
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