M'sia To Send 1,000 Troops For Peacekeeping In Lebanon

M'sia To Send 1,000 Troops For Peacekeeping In Lebanon

"At present, we want to stop civilians, especially women and children, from being killed. This is not a religious war. Lebanon is not a country of 100 per cent Muslims as it has an equal number of Muslims and non-Muslims. The problem is who can tell Israel to stop what it is doing. We believe the United States and the United Kingdom can do it in the name of humanity and international law."

Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 4 (Bernama) -- Malaysia will send 1,000 soldiers for peacekeeping in strife-torn Lebanon as soon as a ceasefire is declared, Defence Forces chief Admiral Tan Sri Mohd Anwar Mohd Nor said Friday.

He said the armed forces were awaiting the green light from the government before sending troops to the Middle East country.

"We will send our troops according to the country's requirements. Currently, we are finalising preparations for the departure," he told reporters after attending the induction into the Hall of Fame ceremony for Navy chief Admiral Tan Sri Ilyas Din.

Mohd Anwar said the armed forces had decided to send soldiers from the 4th Brigade mechanised unit.

"We will send armoured vehicles and troops in highly bullet-proof attire to face any consequences," he added.

Mohd Anwar said an observer group would leave for Lebanon soon to gather the latest information on the current situation there.

"It is vital for us to plan our strategies well," he said.

At the special meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) in Putrajaya yesterday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said Malaysia would send a fully-mechanised battalion on a peacekeeping mission to Lebanon under the United Nations banner. Abdullah is also OIC chairman.

Mohd Anwar said the Malaysian troops were prepared for any eventuality in Lebanon.

"We are likely to face the toughest challenge compared to our experiences in previous peacekeeping missions in Bosnia-Hezergovina, Somalia and recently in Timor Leste.

"The potential dangers will not deter us from doing our job. I am sure our experiences in peacekeeping missions will help us deliver the best," he added.

-- BERNAMA


Talking About the Middle East
(by Dr. Forbush)

"To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public." -Teddy Roosevelt

On my way to work today I browsed the conservative talk radio dial. This exercise is a necessary evil. I used to think that Rush Limbaugh or Bill O’Reilly might have some insight into society, but I now know for certain that they have almost no insight into anything at all. But, I have to listen to discover the hypocrisy and lies that will soon pop up here in the blogosphere. Even if only 10% of their audience believed what these false prophets say, there are still thousands of people that buy this nonsense.

Talk radio was mainly talking about the “War on Terror” today. These people have consolidated every conflict into the “War on Terror.” These people have decided that America is on the side of freedom and everyone else is against freedom. This rhetoric has now been folded into the Israel Palestinian conflict, and the United States is on the Israeli side. This revelation means that the United States can no longer claim an impartial third party in peace negotiations, which makes life much easier for George W Bush.......(more)
(Source:Bring it On)