Malaysia Wants To Join UN Force In Lebanon
Josephine Roque - All Headline News Staff Writer Kuala Lumphur, Malaysia (AFP) - Malaysia exerted pressure on the United Nations to allow them to contribute to the peacekeeping troops in Lebanon. "We want Asian nations like Malaysia and Brunei to be given the chance to play their respective role in Lebanon. This must be done fast," Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi told the New Straits Times. Abdullah had expressed the sentiment to Chinese premier Wen Jiabao during bilateral talks during the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) in Helsinki. The Malaysian prime minister also added that work on Lebanon should be expedited. "We just cannot afford to let the civilians there continue to suffer and be deprived of development," Abdullah said. Malaysia's offer to send 1,000 peacekeeping soldiers is still pending UN approval. Israel has opposed countries that do not recognize the Jewish state to take part in the conflict. Malaysia also emphasized its role as a member and current chair of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC). OIC member Indonesia was allowed to send 1,000 soldiers to Lebanon, while Qatar promised up to 300 troops.
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