Germany to hand over command of Naval UNIFIL force to Italy

 

German Defense Minister Franz Josef Jung is visiting Lebanon for a ceremony marking the change in command of the United Nations naval mission patrolling the Lebanese coast, his office said Thursday.

 

During his stay, Jung will also discuss the situation in the region with his Lebanese counterpart Elias Murr, the defense ministry said in Berlin.

 

Germany passed on command of the UNIFIL task force to Italy on Friday, ending its 17 months in charge of the mission. Jung will attend the handover ceremony on board the frigate Bayern.

 

Rear Admiral Ruggiero Di Biase from Italy will take charge of the mission from its German commander, Christian Luther. Italy heads a joint European maritime force, which also includes ships from France, Spain and Portugal.

 

Germany will remain in the task force with 500 officers and ratings and four ships instead of seven.

 

During the past 17 months, Germany has also provided training to 300 Lebanese naval personnel in Beirut. In addition, 15 Lebanese instructors have been trained in Germany in salvage and firefighting.

 

The UNIFIL task force was created to stop illegal arms supplies reaching the Iran-backed fundamentalist movement Hezbollah after the end of the 2006 Israeli-Lebanon conflict.

 

The defense ministry said the mission had been successful in preventing arms smuggling and helping to rebuild the Lebanese navy.