By IANS/EFE,
Naqoura (Lebanon) : Spain has taken charge of the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon. Currently, more than 2,300 UN soldiers are deployed in the country.
Gen. Alberto Asarta, who replaces Italian Claudio Graziano, became the first Spanish to command a UN peacekeeping operation.
Spanish Defence Minister Carme Chacon, Lebanese Defence Chief Elias Murr and Italian Deputy Defence Minister Giusepe Cossiga, among other officials, attended the change of guard ceremony.
UN peacekeepers were deployed in Lebanon in the wake of Israel’s 2006 war with Hezbollah.
“We’re here to keep careful track of the cessation of hostilities and to help the parties achieve a permanent peace, and we’re committed to doing so,” Asarta said.