MOSCOW, 8 December (BelTA) - Representatives of the Secretariat of the Collective Security Treaty Organization and the CSTO Joint Staff are visiting the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon on 5-9 December, CSTO spokesman Vladimir Zainetdinov told BelTA.
According to the spokesman, the agreement on the visit was reached following the talks of CSTO Secretary General Stanislav Zas with UN Under-Secretary General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix in June. "The CSTO is actively working to integrate the CSTO peacekeeping capabilities into the UN peacekeeping activities. This is one of the priority areas of the organization's activities," Vladimir Zainetdinov said. “The main purpose of the trip is to get acquainted with the activities of the United Nations Interim Force, to study the experience of multinational peacekeeping forces."
The CSTO delegation held working meetings with the acting head of the UNIFL Jack Christofides and UNIFIL Chief of Staff Brig. Gen. Hubert Gomart. The parties exchanged views on possible areas of cooperation in peacekeeping. UNIFIL specialists informed the CSTO delegation about the structure of the mission and the main tasks solved by peacekeepers in the zone of the peacekeeping operation.
“CSTO representatives are also set to visit peacekeeping contingents, including those formed from military personnel of the CSTO member states - Belarus, Armenia and Kazakhstan,” the spokesman informed. “Consultations and exchange of experience on issues of practical interest will be held with the command of the sectors of the peacekeeping mission and peacekeeping contingents. The parties will also discuss the conditions for the functioning and interaction of national peacekeeping contingents, their training, logistics and legal support, compatibility of weapons and military hardware, and a number of other matters”.
