Indonesia has decided to add more troops for peace keeping operation in
the Middle East, in the wake of cease-fire that kicked of on Monday, Indonesian
Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda said here Tuesday.
Indonesian peace keeping troops to the Middle East will increase from 850 to
1,000. the minister said.
Last week, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei Darussalam prepared to send over
2,000 troops for the mission.
Indonesia prepared 850 personnel of one mechanize battalion.
"The President decided to add the number of troops to 1,000, by adding the
element of military observer, civil police and staff," said Wirajuda.
He said that the troops may be dispatched to the ground this week if the
Security Council of the United Nations make a decision on Wednesday.
The decision to send the troops were made during the emergency summit of the
Organization of Islamic Countries in Kuala Lumpur at the beginning of this
month, in the wake of escalation of conflict in the Middle East.
Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam are the countries with vast
majority Muslims.
About 87 percent of the Indonesia's 240 million population are Muslim, making
it the most populace Muslim country in the world. Malaysia has about 60 percent
Muslims of its population.
The meeting of the United Nations Security Council prepared a draft of an
immediate cease-fire in the region but did not stipulate the pulling out of
Israeli troops from the borders.
Over one thousands Lebanese and hundreds of Israelis were killed in the
conflict.
About 2,000 international peacekeepers are currently posted in the conflict
zone.
