Press Releases

August 23 , 2007

Germany to Continue to Lead UNIFIL Mission in Lebanon

The German cabinet has agreed to continue deployment of German troops off the Lebanese coast. Around 1,000 German troops are assigned to the Maritime Task Force (MTF) of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). The MTF is currently under German command and has a mandate to guard the Lebanese coast.

In close cooperation with the Lebanese navy, the interim force has succeeded in stopping weapons being smuggled into the country by sea. The UNIFIL Maritime Task Force has thus made a key contribution to stability in the Middle East.

As the marine section of the UNIFIL mission, the MTF remains indispensable to UN efforts in the region. At the UN’s request, Germany has agreed to lead the mission until the end of February 2008. This is, however, subject to the Bundestag approving an extension of the mandate.

The MTF operates solely at the request of the Lebanese government and is seen as a purely interim solution. By providing equipment and training assistance, the MTF mission aims to enable Lebanon to guard its own coastline in the longer term.

It is expected that the Bundestag will extend the mandate in mid-September, allowing German troops to remain with the MTF until September 15, 2008.

In close cooperation with the Lebanese navy, UNIFIL MTF naval ships guard the Lebanese coast outside the six-mile zone. The marine units are primarily there to prevent illegal weapons being smuggled into the country. Their mandate is set out in UN Resolution 1701, which was passed last August in response to the Lebanon war, in which the radical Islam Hezbollah fired rockets from Lebanese territory in an attack on Israel. The Lebanese government made a formal request for help from the United Nations.

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