Turkey votes to extend participation in UN Lebanon mission
The Turkish Parliament on Tuesday voted to extend the mission of its troops in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), the Anatolia news agency said.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said "it would be appropriate that our forces continue their mission given the current political and security situation in Lebanon," Anatolia reported
Originally created by the Security Council in 1978, UNIFIL”s mission was broadened in 2006 following a devastating 34-day war between Israel and the Hezbollah movement.
Turkey is the first Muslim country to contribute troops to a UN military mission in violence-wracked Lebanon.
The Turkish Parliament in September 2006 authorised the deployment of the 261 troops currently positioned in the south of Lebanon. The initial one-year mission has already been extended once by 12 months.