Spain considering sending more troops to Lebanon

Spain considering sending more troops to Lebanon
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By m.p. - Oct 12, 2009 - 12:12 PM
Permission would be sought for an additional 200 soldiers should Spain take over UNIFIL command as expected

The Defence Minister, Carme Chacón, on a surprise visit to Lebanon this January - EFE

Spain is considering sending an additional 200 soldiers to Lebanon, which would bring the Spanish contingent serving with the UN’s UNIFIL Interim Force in Lebanon up to 1,300 troops.

According to sources at the Defence Ministry quoted by the EFE news agency, the plan would need permission from both the Defence Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Spanish Congress, which would be sought if command of the UNIFIL force passes, as it’s thought the UN will decide to do, to the Spanish general, Alberto Asarta.

The Italian commander of the UNIFIL force in Lebanon currently has at his command 12,000 soldiers and 1,000 civilians. General Claudio Graziano will have been in the position for the maximum period of three years next February, and it’s understood the turn should then fall to a Spanish general. Should that happen, General Alberto Asarta will need additional personnel for the transport, logistics and intelligence responsibilities which are currently the task of Italian troops.

The Prime Minister, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, is due to visit Spanish troops deployed in the south of Lebanon this Friday as part of his first visit to the Middle East.

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