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Italy to send troops if Israel keeps truce
Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema tells La Repubblica newspaper that Italy, which is expected to lead UN Peacekeeping force in Lebanon, would be unable to send any troops if Israel ‘keeps shooting’
Reuters
Italy, which is expected to lead a UN Peacekeeping force in Lebanon, said on Tuesday it would provide 2,000 to 3,000 troops for the force provided Israel did not violate the UN-brokered truce.
Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema said in an interview with the newspaper La Repubblica, that Italy would be unable to send any troops to Lebanon if Israel "Keeps shooting."
"From Israel, we expect a renewed effort, this time truly binding, to respect the ceasefire," D'Alema said. "It's fair to expect that Hizbullah put down their weapons, but we cannot send our troops to Lebanon if the (Israeli) army keeps shooting."
D'Alema said Italy would provide between 2,000 and 3,000 troops to the UN Force - a figure he said would represent about one third of the total sent from Europe.
He said Spain, Belgium and Holland would also send troops to Lebanon, where the UN force is expected to work with the Lebanese army to uphold the truce between Israel and Hizbullah after their 34-day war.
D'Alema said France might reconsider its offer to send only 200 additional troops. "In the end I think that even the French will be present in a more hefty fashion," he said.
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