EU pledges 7,000 troops to Unifil

European Union member states yesterday promised to provide the UN force in Lebanon with about 7,000 ground troops out of the 15,000 required.

The force will man a peacekeeping mission in the southern Lebanon area and enforce the ceasefire declared through a UN resolution following the conflict between Israel and Hizbollah.

EU Foreign Ministers made their country's individual pledges in the presence of the UN Secretary General Kofi Annan during an extraordinary meeting of the General Affairs Council in Brussels.

The major commitment of ground troops, the most essential element in the composition of this force, came from Italy, offering 3,000 troops. France will be sending 2,000 soldiers and Spain will make a contribution of between 800 and 1,000 troops.

Malta will not be sending any soldiers to Lebanon but during the meeting, attended by Parliamentary Secretary Tony Abela, it declared it is ready to offer any logistical help needed to the UN mission. During his intervention Mr Abela did not specify what form such logistical support could take.

Sources close to the government however told The Times that Malta will be particularly prepared to take part in the planning process of the mission without the need to send any military personnel to Lebanon.

"We are thinking of helping out, if possible together with the Italian contingent, in the preparations and logistical planning required. We obviously have constraints being a small country with a small army, but we are ready to give a helping hand as a sign of solidarity," the sources said.

Mr Annan praised the EU for keeping its promises and announced that the UN force in Lebanon will be led by France until February of next year to be followed by Italy immediately after. He described yesterday's meeting as a success as more than half of the force needed has been provided.

"I am very encouraged by the troops' commitment and the EU is once again showing its solidarity in practice with the people of Lebanon. We can now begin to put together a strong, credible and robust force," he said.

Finnish Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja, in his capacity as president of the EU Council, said that during the meeting the EU confirmed it is living up to expectations.

Finland, Denmark and Belgium have also pledged to send troops while many of the other EU member states committed themselves to sending maritime and air force personnel.

Italian troops could head off to Lebanon as part of a UN peace force as early as next Tuesday, Prime Minister Romano Prodi said yesterday.

Mr Prodi told reporters that his Cabinet would issue a decree on Monday authorising the deployment of troops. "Therefore, from Tuesday morning, the mission can begin," he said. Italy has committed up to 3,000 troops, the biggest so far by any nation, for the peace force.