Rio de Janeiro – The frigate Constituição (Portuguese for ‘constitution’) left the Naval Base in Rio this Tuesday (4th) to integrate the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon. It will replace the frigate Liberal, which has been in the region since May. The taskforce is headed by the Brazilian counter admiral Wagner Lopes de Moraes Zamith.
The frigate Constituição will join a multinational group comprising nine ships, three of which are from Germany, two from Bangladesh, one from Greece, one from Indonesia, and one from Turkey. The crew comprises 250 military officials, who should arrive in Beirut in mid-January. The return to Rio is scheduled for August 2013.
The Brazilian participation was approved by the House of Representatives in December 2010. The mission was established by the United Nations in to contribute to security in southern Lebanon.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
