Four Slovenian military instructors who are training security forces in Iraq will stay there in 2007, Defence Minister Karl Erjavec told the press in Ljubljana on Wednesday as he presented the ministry's activities in the past year.
Before the end of the year, the country will moreover send one military observer to Sudan and twelve soldiers to Lebanon, he added.
The Lebanon contingent will include three soldiers who will work in the command structures of the UNIFIL mission, two will be deployed as national support elements and seven will operate in reconnaissance missions.
Slovenia's partner in this mission will be Italy, which will guarantee the necessary logistic and other support, Erjavec continued.
According to the minister, 355 members of the Slovenian Armed Forces are currently taking part in NATO, EU and UN missions around the world.
The army's largest mission is in Kosovo, where 214 soldiers are currently stationed. Their number is expected to increase to up to 600, when a motorised battalion is sent to Kosovo in the second half of February, he said.
The second largest Slovenian contingent is serving in Bosnia-Herzegovina with 76 soldiers. However, Slovenia is planning a gradual withdrawal to begin in late December or early January.
The number of Slovenian Armed Forces members in Afghanistan currently stands at 54 and the country has no plans to increase its military presence there.
Two Slovenian soldiers are currently also serving in Kongo, but are expected to end their mission at the end of the year, he said.
|
Subscribe
To receive our weekly newsletter by e-mail subscribe here.
HOME
Government | Calendar of Events | Media Room | About Slovenia
Sitemap | Contact us | About us | Graphic version | Slovensko
© Government Communication Office