WRAP French troops unloading in Beirut port, Russian troops arriving

• published: 24 Jul 2015
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1. Various of French trucks driving in convoy 2. Various French tanks lined up in port 3. Various of French troops 4. Wide of cargo vessel used to transport troops and equipment to Beirut 5. Container being lowered off ship 6. Close-up of ship's name (English) "Fast Challenger" 7. Truck driving down ship's ramp onto docks 8. Truck pulling off 9. Truck painted white and marked 'UN' 10. Various of armoured vehicles carrying troops wearing blue UN helmets 11. Various of French troops 12. Wide of Beirut airport 13. SOUNDBITE: (Russian) Russian officer, no name given: "First of all we are going to look at the suggestions put forward by the Lebanese government. We will consider their request and our ability - you have to understand our abilities are not limitless. After agreeing on these matters we will make the decision about which bridges we will rebuild." 14. Cutaway cameraman 15. Various of vans and minibuses outside airport to meet Russian troops 16. Various of Russian troops getting into minibus 17. Convoy of vehicles leave airport STORYLINE: More French trucks and armoured vehicles rolled ashore in Lebanon on Wednesday to add to the multi-national mission aimed at helping cement the UN-brokered truce which ended fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. French troops wearing the distinctive blue helmets and berets of the United Nations unloaded the cargo ship 'Fast Challenger' which docked at Beirut's port. The port reopened to commercial traffic last Friday (8 September) after Israel imposed a blockade after fighting broke out on July 12. The latest deployment consists of Leclerc tanks, AUF-1 artillery cannons, high-tech Cobra radar trucks, and dozens of armoured vehicles and transport trucks. France has promised to send 2,000 soldiers as part of the international peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon. Some 500 troops have so far been deployed. The French contingent is part of efforts to give new teeth to the so-called UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) peacekeeping mission, which has been largely ineffective since it was created in south Lebanon in 1978. The force is set to grow from 2,000 troops to 15,000 under a new Security Council mandate. France has long-standing ties to Lebanon, which was under French administration between the two world wars. Russia has also said it will send troops to Lebanon. A Russian military plane arrived in Beirut on Wednesday carrying 31 members of the Russian contingent with a second aircraft bringing equipment. Russia's Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov has said that a battalion of between 350-400 engineers and explosives specialists will head to Lebanon in late September or early October, Interfax, ITAR-Tass and RIA-Novosti reported. The contingent was not being deployed to Lebanon as part of the UN peacekeeping group, but on the basis of bilateral agreements between the Russian and Lebanese governments, according to RIA-Novosti. Russian President Vladimir Putin gave final orders on Monday for a battalion to travel to Lebanon. Ivanov has said that the battalion would include experts for disarming unexploded ordnance, as well as engineers to evaluate the damage inflicted on Lebanese roads and bridges. "First of all we are going to look at the suggestions put forward by the Lebanese government. We will consider their request and our ability - you have to understand are abilities are not limitless. After agreeing on these matters we will make the decision about which bridges we will rebuild," said one Russian officer. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/c328d93029b70f7f5c3c7a89b10a5196 Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork