THE FIRST Slovak soldier to participate in the EU-led operation focused on providing humanitarian aid to Libya and helping refugees fleeing the country is Maroš Gonos, who was deployed to Rome on April 10 at the request of the EU commander.
"Since the beginning of this operation we’ve said that we fully support the steps to promote peace in a country where a mad dictator lets his own people be killed,” Defence Minister Ľubomír Galko stated, as quoted by the SITA newswire.
According to Galko, the Slovak solider will be in charge of human resources for the mission with the task of issuing invitations and on the basis of responses to prepare a command structure database as well as aid in mission planning.
Gonos will be based in Rome and will not be dispatched to Libya, Galko said, adding that he will serve four months in the post and if the operation continues beyond then, another soldier will take over his post for another four months.
“This is a contribution to the humanitarian action, not the military action,” Galko told SITA. He did not rule out that there might be further requests from the commanders of the NATO operation in Libya in the future.
2. May 2011 at 0:00 | Compiled by Spectator staff
