Italy will definitely participate in the United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon but it needs more details from the UN first, Italian Premier Romano Prodi said on Wednesday .
Underscoring that Rome was committed to the mission, he said the size and shape of Italy's contribution would depend on other countries' involvement .
"Our contribution will be decided in accordance with the number of countries, the overall size and how much each nation can give," he said .
"The general nature of the Italian mission is agreed upon but we clearly have to wait for the technical details to be worked out before we can reach any decisions on specific aspects," he said .
The Italian government has promised to send around 3,000 troops to Lebanon, to help support a UN-brokered ceasefire between the Israeli government and the militant group Hezbollah .
The truce, which came into effect Monday morning, commits the UN to sending some 15,000 troops to the area as back-up for a Lebanese military force of around the same size .
France, Turkey, Malaysia and Indonesia, along with round a dozen other countries, have also said they will contribute to the UN force .
Defence Minister Arturo Parisi also underlined that Italy needed "more information" from the UN before it could finalize the logistical details of its contribution .
"This information must be certain and clear," he said. "But at this stage, the question of whether Italy will participate in the mission can only be answered in the affirmative" .
He said Italy would deploy troops "as soon as possible" but was still waiting for details on "the chain of command, the exact interpretation of the mandate, and the rules of engagement" .
Parisi added that he was discussing the various options with his French counterpart, Michele Alliot-Marie .
France, which heads the UN's current mission in Lebanon, UNIFIL, is expected to lead the new force, while Rome has offered to assume the role of second-in-command .
GOVERNMENT DECISION EXPECTED FRIDAY .
Meanwhile, government sources confirmed that the cabinet will meet on Friday morning to discuss Italy's involvement. Parisi and Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema will then explain the government's decision to a joint session of the House and Senate Foreign Affairs and Defence Committees .
The cabinet is expected to meet some time over the weekend in order to draw up a decree authorizing Italy's participation .
Press reports on Monday that parliament would not be involved in the decision drew immediate complaints from the centre-right opposition, which accused the government of bypassing due parliamentary process .
But Prodi has since confirmed the decree will be put before the House for a vote .
He also underlined that his government's plans enjoyed the full support of opposition leader and former premier Silvio Berlusconi .
He said he had discussed the situation at length with Berlusconi, who had no reservations about the mission .
"He gave me advice that I appreciated about the size of the force and what its nature should be. It was a positive conversation," Prodi said .
The premier also dismissed concerns raised by some members of the opposition over the cost of the mission .
"I have started discussing the matter with the Economy Ministry and I believe funding will be found without any problems," he said .
ITALY'S CONTRIBUTION .
Although no decisions are expected before Friday, reliable military sources have suggested Italy will initially send five aircraft carriers to the area with around 3,500 troops onboard .
Around half of these will be navy personnel, the sources said, while an "entry force" of between 1,000 and 2,000 soldiers will be deployed on the ground .
The advance force, which will set out as soon as the UN finalizes the details of the mission, will remain for three months, at which point it will probably be replaced by a longer-term contingent of around 3,000 troops .
Italy is also sending humanitarian aid. A ship loaded with around 500 tonnes of food and medical supplies left Brindisi in the early hours of Wednesday morning .
The ship is expected to arrive in Beirut on Saturday, where the supplies will be distributed by local authorities and humanitarian organizations .
The conflict was triggered by a Hezbollah incursion into Israeli territory on July 12, when guerrillas belonging to the group killed eight Israeli soldiers and captured two others .
Some 1,000 Israeli civilians and more than 115 Israelis, mostly soldiers, have been killed in the conflict .
