Slovenia has established contact with Italy as a possible partner country in the UN peacekeeping mission (UNIFIL) in Lebanon, Defence Minister Karl Erjavec told the members of the parliamentary defence committee on Friday.
Talks with Italy will begin next week, with Slovenia expecting full logistics support from its western neighbour in case that the states agree on a partnership, Erjavec added.
The Slovenian contingent, which is to number twelve soldiers, should be ready for departure to Lebanon in the second half of November, Erjavec added. The cabinet decided to send the soldiers to the Middle Eastern country in early September.
The soldiers will remain in the country for a period determined in accordance with the partnering country and with the option of subsequent rotations.
The members of the committee did not oppose the sending of troops to Lebanon. Opposition Liberal Democracy (LDS) lawmaker Anton Anderlic, the head of the committee, said that he expects the cabinet to inform the committee on the goings on after the deployment of the soldiers.
The UN mission is expected to number some 15,000 soldiers, with Italy and France expected to contribute the bulk of the troops.
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