[Reuters] A new UN force planned for Lebanon will take a year to reach full strength, said Maj.-Gen. Alain Pellegrini, the Frenchman who leads UNIFIL, the current UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon which has some 2,000 troops. "It's going to take a year to bring the number of men to 15,000," Pellegrini said. "In the short term, our priority is to give a hand to the Lebanese army." In New York, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric has said Pellegrini was expected to remain in charge of the bigger force.
2006-08-16 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive