"I keep coming back to south Lebanon searching for peace of mind," said Erik Hovet a former Norwegian peacekeeper who served in UNIFIL's Norwegian Armoured Personnel Carrier Platoon, in the southern town of Ibl Saqi in 1980.

"Over the past 30 years, my mind was in Lebanon every day, thinking about my friends and life in Lebanon," added Hovet with nostalgia, as his eyes examined the green hills of Ibl Saqi.

Hovet is one of the hundreds of Norwegian peacekeepers who served in UNIFIL, during Norway's twenty-year service in the UN mission in South Lebanon, between 1978 till 1998. As part of UNIFIL's 5000 troops, Norway contributed 800 troops in UNIFIL in a total of 44 battalion rotations.

Louis Assi, who is in charge of coordinating activities and visits between South Lebanon and the organization of the Norwegian Veterans for World Operations, said that yearly visits by veterans have been arranged during which Norway's National Day is celebrated every year on 17 May in Ibl Saqi town located in Marjayoun District.

Describing his relationship with Norwegian peacekeepers and veterans, Louis Assi said, "What they [Norwegian peacekeepers] built in the past constituted the foundation for the UNIFIL's mission in south Lebanon in later years."

During his visit to Ibl Esaki on Norway's national day, DR. Harald Hope, who was a medical officer in 1979 and 1981 in the 4th and 7th Norbatt that were operating in Rashay al-Fukhar town, said "after 35 years, I came back to Lebanon."

"Upon my arrival to Lebanon in 1979, I was shocked by seeing the massive damages in the houses in south Lebanon, where areas were poorly populated," Hope said.

"Coming back to Lebanon with my family this year, I can see that south Lebanon has better roads now, hotels, fuel stations, infrastructure, and many new houses," said Hope reflecting high sympathy and care for the southerners.

UNIFIL was created after UN Security Council adopted resolutions 425 (1978) and 426 (1978), in which it called upon Israel to immediately cease its military action and withdraw its forces from all Lebanese territory.

The first UNIFIL troops arrived in the area on 23 March 1978. Norway was one of the troop contributing countries at that time, along with Sweden, Nepal, Ghana, Finland, France, Italy, Ireland and Fiji.