Brazil News
| RIO DE JANEIRO – On Tuesday, a new contingent of Brazilian military will depart to serve the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). On the 25th, Rear Admiral Wagner Lopes de Moraes Zamith assumes command of the Maritime Task Force (MTF) of UNIFIL. In April, the Brazilian Navy Frigate Liberal departs for Beirut with 270 men aboard.
Brazilian Navy Frigate Liberal F-43 (Photo: G. Wiltgen/naval.com.br)
Zamith will replace Rear Admiral Luiz Henrique Caroli, current commander of the MTF on board the frigate Union, which arrived in Lebanon in November 2011. The mission is to help, along with vessels of five nations in patrolling Lebanese territorial waters, preventing entry of weapons and prohibited products. The Liberal and the Union will be the flagships of the MTF fleet at sea.
“The UNIFIL mission aims to create an environment for dialogue, helping the Lebanese government to prevent the entry of illegal weapons across its borders and restore the sovereignty of the national territory in the southern area, where invasions by Israel are frequent. Another goal is to bring humanitarian aid to the local population who, because of the conflict, was displaced from their homes,” said Zamith to Agencia Brasil.
Besides ensuring stability for the Lebanese government to consolidate democracy in the country, Zamith emphasizes that the mission also shows the geopolitical importance of Brazil in the region. “This projects Brazil as a country engaged in maintenance of peace. We are now the 12th country in terms of contribution of troops and equipment for peacekeeping missions. Growing our visibility and credibility in the international arena,” he said.
UNIFIL was established by the United Nations (UN) in 1978. In 2006, the Lebanese government requested that a maritime force be created to support the mission. In the second half of 2010, Brazil was invited to participate in the project. “This demonstrates confidence and credibility in our country, under conditions of taking leadership in the peace mission,” said the Rear Admiral.
All activities and movements of Brazilians in Lebanese territorial waters are monitored in real time from the Command and Control Center, Naval Operations, First Naval District, in downtown Rio de Janeiro. The site has direct satellite communication with the military teams abroad, which makes it possible to know exactly where the Brazilian vessels are, and provides an instantaneous audio and video connection.
Approaches to foreign ships and vessels will only be made at the request of the Lebanese government, following strict guidelines aimed at avoiding any conflict, because the region has dozens of groups of different religions and political beliefs. “An activity required for success is the approach and inspection of merchant ships. The crew was trained for this type of task. A group of guidelines was created to direct reaction to asymmetric threats,” said Zamith. Moreover, another important activity is the role of Brazil in training the Lebanese Navy.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs participated in the preparation of the operational guidelines. Despite cultural differences and the risks of acting in a region rife with political conflicts, Zamith recounts that the Brazilians are always well received in Lebanon. He said Brazil has a population of Lebanese origin or descendents estimated at 8 million people, almost double the current population of Lebanon, which has about 4 million inhabitants.
Read also: More Articles from BD
Source(s) for this article: Agencia Brasil
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