Portugal's Military University Institute will host, in November, the training of military personnel from the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPLP) for United Nations (UN) missions, the Portuguese Minister of National Defense announced Friday in São Tomé.

"We are going to provide all the countries with a training internship at the IUM (Military University Institute), in Portugal (?) next November to start this joint work of setting up this cell whose objective is the participation of CPLP military personnel - from several countries, in United Nations operations," said Helena Carreiras at the end of her 24-hour visit to São Tomé and Príncipe.

The training is part of the CPLP's civil-military cooperation cell (CIMIC), whose creation was approved in May at the XXI Meeting of CPLP Ministers of National Defense or alike, held in Praia, Cape Verde, to prepare military personnel for peacekeeping operations.

The Portuguese Minister of National Defense said that "there is still all the work to be done in terms of doctrine, of training", but that it will "begin with this training work" counting on the "presence of elements from all these countries".

"We are inviting two participants per country, we will try to create the conditions for this participation to take place and for this to be the first project of this new cell that we will soon have and also building for what is a design of the United Nations that has asked us, Portugal, to collaborate in the greater participation of CPLP countries in their missions," explained Helena Carreiras. (MMO)