More Chinese peacekeepers to Lebanon 

Source: CCTV.com

09-19-2006 09:16

After Monday's talks with Romano Prodi, Wen Jiabao announced China will increase its troop numbers in the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon to one-thousand.

Around two hundred Chinese engineers are already in the south of Lebanon clearing mines and unexploded ordnance.

The peacekeeping force is being expanded to bolster the truce between Israel and Hezbollah guerrillas.

A UNIFIL spokesman said Chinese engineering teams have been invaluable.

Alexander Ivanko, UNIFIL spokesman said, "Our major concern probably is the unexploded ordnances that have to be cleared because there are still thousands of cluster bombers lying around, mines, etcetera, and we have to make sure that our troops are safe and don't step on any of this stuff and that is done rather quickly and rather efficiently by the Chinese engineers."

China will also give Lebanon forty million yuan, or five million US dollars, in humanitarian aid. Half of it has already been sent.

The Israel-Lebanon conflict has killed nearly twelve hundred in Lebanon, most of them civilians, and more than a hundred and fifty Israelis.

A UN resolution brokered the truce on August 14th.

Editor:Sun Luying