BEIRUT, June 16 (Xinhua) -- Chinese peacekeepers in the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) received a UN medal on Tuesday for their contribution to keeping peace in southern Lebanon.
A medal-awarding ceremony was held at the Chinese troops' camp in Hanniyah village in southern Lebanon, with the attendance of Head of Mission and Force Commander of the UNIFIL Stefano Del Col, Chinese Ambassador to Lebanon Wang Kejian, representatives of the Lebanese armed forces and fellow peacekeepers.
"The Medal of Honor you will be awarded today will be a commendation for your contribution to the mission area and will also be a precious memory of your work in this beautiful land," Del Col said at the ceremony.
Del Col praised the Chinese peacekeepers for their efforts in clearing a mine area of about 9,000 square meters, while destroying 1,577 mines and another 997 mines found by the Cambodian Mine Clearance Teams.
"The clearance area and the number of mines have created the largest batch in UNIFIL, and you have always maintained a record of zero casualties. This is a very great achievement," Del Col said.
He also praised the Chinese peacekeepers for carrying out a humanitarian mission to clear the mines near the villages in southern Lebanon, which brings hope to the local people who can move freely and safely.
The UNIFIL official also expressed his appreciation for Chinese contingent's completion of 77 construction tasks with high standards.
Del Col noted that the Chinese peacekeepers provided rehabilitation physiotherapy, outpatient services and humanitarian medical patrol services, completed 47 operations, and received more than 10,000 UN personnel and more than 4,000 local people.
He also commended Gao Chaoning for his role as the commander of the 18th batch of Chinese peacekeeping troops to Lebanon.
"The strong qualities you displayed, such as strong leadership, bravery, rigor and meticulousness, professionalism, friendliness and tolerance, have established a very good image for Chinese soldiers in the hearts of local people in Lebanon and left a deep impression on everyone," he said.