MYKOLAYIV, Ukraine. May 18 (Interfax-AVN) - The Ukrainian and French military contingents within peacekeeping missions in Sierra Leone, Lebanon and the Balkans will hold joint exercises in 2003, a spokesman for the Ukrainian Defense Ministry told Interfax-Military News Agency on Saturday.
An agreement on the matter was reached by Ukrainian Armed Forces Chief-of-Staff Petro Shulyak and his French counterpart Jean- Pierre Kelche. The latter arrived in the Shiroky Lan proving range in Ukraine's Mykolayiv region to attend the training of French army units.
According to the spokesman, 30 joint French-Ukrainian operations in the military cooperation sphere are scheduled for 2003. The parties will concentrate on training of servicemen, cooperation in the sphere of military medicine, topography and geodesy.
Kelche is "fully satisfied with the conditions the Shiroky Lan proving range is offering for conduction of exercises," the spokesman stressed.
The exercise of French units started at the proving range on May 7 and will end on May 25. It involves 1,200 people, 45 Leclerc tanks, 170 armored vehicles and 290 vehicles of the 2nd tank brigade of the ground troops organic to the French Land Forces. The aim of the exercise is to practice quick relocation of mechanized and tank units using all possible delivery means such as military aviation, vessels, trains and vehicles. The French tankmen are improving their skills in conduction of rotation and withdrawal of units; they are also taught methods of intensive warfare conduction.
In particular, the 2nd brigade already trained the tactics of a tank attack, the spokesman said.
Kelche stressed that large French military units having the size of a brigade had never held maneuvers in Ukraine. The brigade's personnel have just returned from Kosovo where they accomplished peacekeeping missions.
Shulyak said that "the total cost of the exercise is USD4m, and the city of Mykolayiv received a part of that sum as payment for use of its bridges and roads by foreign military vehicles and for foodstuffs supplies."
After the French military units complete the exercise, the proving range will be rented by the Italian army, Shulyak added.