LEBANON: A ceremony for Belgian peacekeeper killed during cluster munitions clearing in southern Lebanon is held at Beirut's airport

Record ID: 349346

  • Title: LEBANON: A ceremony for Belgian peacekeeper killed during cluster munitions clearing in southern Lebanon is held at Beirut's airport
  • Date: 5th September 2008
  • Summary: (EU) BEIRUT, LEBANON (SEPTEMBER 4, 2008) (REUTERS) U.N. HELICOPTER LANDING, CARRYING THE COFFIN OF DEAD BELGIAN SOLDIER VARIOUS OF THE HELICOPTER VARIOUS OF LEBANESE SOLDIERS CARRYING COFFIN COVERED WITH U.N. FLAG VARIOUS OF THE CEREMONY BELGIAN FLAG MORE OF UNIFIL (UNITED NATIONS INTERIM FORCE IN LEBANON) SOLDIERS CARRYING THE COFFIN
  • Embargoed: 20th September 2008 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Lebanon
  • Country: Lebanon
  • Topics: Defence / Military
  • Reuters ID: LVABO6UC9BCMBFPBXJIWJ2SXZIHZ
  • Story Text: The United Nations' peacekeeping force in Lebanon, called UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) held a ceremony on Thursday (September 4) for a Belgian peacekeeper who was killed on Wednesday (September 3) while clearing cluster munitions that Israel dropped on southern Lebanon during its 2006 war with Hezbollah guerrillas.
    The ceremony was held at Beirut airport before the body was flown back to Belgium. Lebanese, UNIFIL and Belgian officials attended the ceremony.
    There are some 370 Belgian soldiers in the UNIFIL force helping the Lebanese army patrol a border zone in the south under a U.N. Security Council resolution mandate that ended the 34-day war.
    Cluster bombs are fired from the air or ground in canisters which burst to release the bomblets.
    The United Nations Mine Action Coordination Centre says Israel dropped a "few million" cluster bombs on Lebanon. Hundreds of thousands of the bomblets failed to explode.
    Israel says it uses cluster bombs in accordance with international law.
    More than 100 countries meeting in Ireland in May formally agreed to ban the use of cluster bombs under a draft treaty. But Israel has said it will go on using them.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register