| French Fly 650 To Entebbe |
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READY: French troops relax at Entebbe Airport yesterday. Canadians are also here |
By Felix Osike
At least 650 French troops had by yesterday arrived in Uganda for the peacekeeping operation in Bunia town in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
They were joined by 46 Canadian military experts led by Col. Boucharg, who arrived at Entebbe Airport on Saturday night.
Capt. Frederic Solano, the spokesman of the French-led multinational force, said the first deployment would be made today. The deployment is expected to be completed in a month.
About 100 French soldiers arrived in Bunia town Friday and secured the airport ,for an advance party of a 1,400-strong multinational force.
Solano said about six flights are expected to be made today.
They will take Sagie tanks used in the first Gulf War.
Another team of 17 Belgium troops had arrived at Entebbe. Another 43 are expected this week.
Today the Ministry of Defence and the head of the French-led UN multinational force will sign a state of forces agreement on the use of the Entebbe military airbase, army spokesman Maj. Shaban Bantariza said.
�The agreement will detail the mechanism of operations between them and us because we have security interests where they are (airbase),� said Bantariza.
He said the agreement would also spell out certain things that the multinational force would be prohibited from doing while at the airbase, like bringing in people who are not authorised to use the airbase.
Ends
Published on: Tuesday, 10th June, 2003 |
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