UN, February 24 (RIA Novosti) - Russia is to send a
military hospital to Chad and engineers to the Central African
Republic in support of UN missions, Russia's envoy has told a
UN Assembly General peacekeeping committee.
Vitaly Churkin also said Russia was working to "expand its
participation in operations to support peace." He noted that
Russian peacekeepers were stationed in the Middle East, Africa,
Haiti, and Kosovo.
The UN Security Council has repeatedly voiced its concerns
over the activity of armed groups in Chad and the Central
African Republic, as well as in the neighboring Sudanese region
of Darfur.
The Council approved on 25 September, 2007 the
establishment in Chad and the Central African Republic "of a
multidimensional presence intended to help create the security
conditions conducive to a voluntary, secure and sustainable
return of refugees and displaced persons".
MINURCAT, the United Nations Mission in the Central
African Republic and Chad, numbers 300 police and 50
communications officers.
A Russian helicopter unit is already involved in a UN
mission in Sudan, and Russia is also deploying another aviation
group to participate in MINURCAT, Churkin said.
As of November 30, 2008, 276 Russians were involved in UN
peacekeeping missions around the world.
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