Germany expected to send troops to Lebanon [View All]

1 hour, 23 minutes ago

BERLIN - Germany will likely contribute more than 1,200 service personnel to the U.N. peacekeeping force for Lebanon, its defense minister said in remarks published Thursday.

Germany has already offered warships backed by surveillance aircraft to prevent weapons being smuggled to Hezbollah guerrillas after their war with Israel. But officials have previously refused to say how many personnel Germany would send, insisting the precise mission must first be worked out.

Defense Minister Franz Josef Jung made his remarks when asked in a newspaper interview about reports that the German force would number about 1,200.

"This is still being agreed, particularly with the Lebanese government. But I expect that the number will probably be greater," Jung was quoted as saying in the Neue Presse daily.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060831/ap_on_re_mi_ea/mideast_germany