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Putin confirms Russian troops for Lebanon, but not under UN flag

Sat Sep 23, 8:38 AM ET

COMPIEGNE, France (AFP) - Russia intends to send troops to Lebanon, but not as part of the UN peacekeeping force there and only if all parties in the region agree, President Vladimir Putin confirmed.

Moscow is prepared to send "a small deployment of engineers to Lebanon," Putin said Saturday after a three-way summit with French President Jacques Chirac and German Chancellor Angela Merkel north of Paris.

"We don't intend to do this within the UNIFIL (UN Interim Force in Lebanon) framework, but rather within a bilateral framework," he told a joint media conference.

Russia's defence ministry said Thursday there were plans to send 300 military engineers to Lebanon for reconstruction work following the 34-day war in July and August between Hezbollah and
Israel.

The soldiers -- 100 fewer than originally forecast -- were to rebuild six bridges near Saida (or Sidon, 40 kilometres, 25 miles, south of Beirut) destroyed by Israeli bombardments, according to Russian General Ivan Tsyganov.

Tsyganov said the men, from Russia's 100th engineering battalion, would likely travel to Lebanon in early October.

Russia has insisted that this batallion will be deployed independently of the expanded UNIFIL, which is currently under French command with a mandate to prevent renewed hostilities in southern Lebanon.

Putin confirms Russian troops for Lebanon, but not under UN flag (http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060923/wl_mideast_afp/mideastconflictlebanonrussiaunforce_060923123855;_ylt=Ap7Sgp2.PpLG5kNX9wb4hL0UvioA;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl)