KYIV. Jan 28 (Interfax-AVN) - The number of Ukrainian peacekeepers serving in the UN mission in Lebanon will be halved the end of 2002, a source in the Defense Ministry told Interfax- Military News Agency on Monday.
The UN Security Council ordered to reduce the number of peacekeepers from 3,500 to 2,000 people by the end of the year, the source said. As a result the 3rd Ukrainian separate engineering battalion will be reduced from 650 to 200 servicemen.
Mine clearance operations in Lebanon which has some 500,000 unexploded mines will be carried out by humanitarian units manned with civilian specialists in the future. Ukrainian Defense Minister Volodimir Shkidchenko does not rule out that former Ukrainian servicemen might be involved in those operations but they will have to undergo certification and win a competition for the contract.
As much as USD500m will be allocated for the deployment of a humanitarian unit and payment to the UN specialists.
According to the source, sappers of the 3rd battalion have defused over 1,500 dangerous explosive devices in Lebanon since their deployment in the country in July 2000.