Chancellor Angela Merkel's cabinet has decided to extend the mandate for German troops serving with the UNIFIL peacekeeping mission off the coast of Lebanon.
The deployment of naval personnel is to be extended by 15 months until December 15, 2009. At the same time the maximum number of personnel is to be cut from 1,400 to 1,200. The cabinet decision still requires parliamentary approval. UNIFIL was first deployed in the region in 1978 and strengthened in the aftermath of Israel's 2006 war against Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon. UNIFIL's naval component is meant to prevent arms being smuggled to Hezbollah by sea.
(Deutsche Welle)
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