NAPOLITANO VISITS ITALIAN TROOPS IN LEBANON

NAPOLITANO VISITS ITALIAN TROOPS IN LEBANON

(ANSA) - Beirut, November 2 - Italian president Giorgio Napolitano arrived in Beirut on Monday to visit Italy's peace keeping contingent there ahead of Italian Armed Forces Day on Wednesday.

Napolitano was greeted upon his arrival by Lebanon President Michel Suleiman before meeting with representatives of the Italian community in Beirut.

On Tuesday Napolitano is scheduled to officiate over an Armed Forces Day ceremony with Italian soldiers deployed in the United Nations UNIFIL peace keeping mission in Lebanon.

Defense Minister Ignazio La Russa is also expected to participate in the ceremonies a day before the November 4 holiday.

Italy, which currently leads the UNIFIL mission, has some 2,500 men deployed in the UN mission, set up after Israel's 2006 offensive against the Hezbollah paramilitary organization.

Before leaving on Monday, Napolitano met with representatives from Keren Hayesod, an fundraising organization for Israel.

During the meeting, Napolitano said that ''in order to win the challenge of peace,'' Israel must accept an independent Palestine.

Napolitano will return to Italy for the National Armed Forces Day celebrations on Wednesday.