BEIRUT: President Michel Sleiman attended a ceremony Monday welcoming a Brazilian frigate which will lead the naval force of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon.

Brazilian Vice President Michel Temer, who is currently on an official visit to Lebanon, met Sleiman at Beirut port.

The frigate docked at noon. No statements were made during the ceremony. Ships blew their horns in honor of the president as Sleiman left the port.

Brazil took the helm of UNIFIL’s Maritime Task Force in February of this year, taking over from Italy. They subsequently boosted their naval personnel in the country from 10 to 249.

Security was tight along the streets from the Presidential Palace in suburban Baabda all the way to Beirut Port Monday for Sleiman’s midday trip.

As the ceremony was taking place a crowd of around 100 relatives of Islamist inmates from jails across Lebanon were protesting outside the Grand Serail in Downtown Beirut to put pressure on the government to reduce the prison year to nine months.

The protesters were permitted into the Grand Serail courtyard to allow Sleiman’s motorcade to pass to Beirut port for the ceremony.