Beirut - Italian President Georgio Napolitano visited Italian peacekeepers in southern Lebanon on Tuesday, saying they were needed to fight terrorism and promote peace. "The primary job of the armed forces is to preserve peace and combat widespread international subversion, starting with terrorism," he said.
Italy has 2,600 peacekeepers serving with a mission supervising a fragile peace along the border between Lebanon and Israel.
After the July 2006 war between Lebanon and Israel, Italy joined other European countries that promoted the mission.
Napolitano, who arrived Monday in Lebanon, held talks with his Lebanese counterpart Michel Suleiman.
