Beirut, Dec 29 (IANS) Visiting Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has affirmed his country's keenness to support the work of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), the National News Agency reported."The Spanish battalion is the largest of the participating teams in UNIFIL since 2006," Sanchez said on Wednesday.The Prime Minister's remarks came during his visit to Beirut, capital of Lebanon, where he also inspected the Spanish battalion operating within the framework of UNIFIL, Xinhua news agency reported.Sanchez praised Lebanon for hosting Syrian refugees and expressed his understanding of "Lebanon's insistence to guarantee the voluntary return of the displaced to their homeland," noting Spain would make every effort "through the European Union to support Lebanon in this regard".Meanwhile, Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati thanked Spain for its participation in the UNIFIL with a battalion of more than 600 peacekeepers, noting it was the largest Spanish military force outside its country.Mikati also vowed all-out efforts to identify those who attacked the UNIFIL Irish peacekeepers on December 14 and bring them to justice.
--IANS int/khz/
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