Germany offers sea, border patrols in Lebanon

United Nation, Aug 18: Germany has pledged to provide police, customs agents, aircraft and ships to a UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon to prevent arms from flowing into the country by land from Syria or by sea.

''Today I was in a position to offer a rather substantive maritime component which is so encompassing that it could patrol and secure the whole of the Lebanese coast to make sure that no weapons or other related materials get into Lebanon,'' German U.N. Ambassador Thomas Matussek said yesterday.

''We could also offer a rather substantial border patrol along the Syrian border,'' Matussek said after a meeting at UN headquarters of countries interested in supporting a beefed-up UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon. The offer was contingent on parliamentary approval, he said.

Reuters

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