Palace: No Decision Yet on Withdrawing TNI Troops from UNIFIL

Jakarta (ANTARA) - State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi stated that the government has not yet made a decision regarding the withdrawal of TNI personnel from the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). “If the question is about the decision to withdraw, it’s not yet. But with the incident that happened yesterday, the government certainly must coordinate,” Prasetyo said at the Presidential Palace Complex in Jakarta on Wednesday. He explained that the government, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is continuing to coordinate and evaluate following the incident that befell TNI soldiers in the area. According to him, the possibility of withdrawing troops still depends on the results of the ongoing evaluation, including developments on the ground. He explained that the evaluation also includes communications conveyed by Indonesia’s representatives at the United Nations (UN) as part of the assessment of the peacekeeping mission. “What we request that is conveyed by our representatives at the UN is also part of the evaluation,” he said. Prasetyo assured that the government will wait for the results of a comprehensive evaluation before determining further steps regarding the continuation of the troop assignment. “We’ll see the results first,” he said. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Yvonne Mewengkang stated that Indonesia’s participation in UNIFIL is part of Indonesia’s solid international commitment to world security and peace. “Therefore, various decisions related to this issue, including proposals for withdrawal, need to go through very careful consideration, both in terms of personnel safety, the relevance of the UNIFIL mandate, and Indonesia’s contribution to regional stability,” Yvonne said during a media briefing in Jakarta on Wednesday. She explained that in its mission, UNIFIL has a direct mandate from the UN Security Council, while its implementation is coordinated under the UN secretariat. As a troop-contributing country to UNIFIL, Indonesia and other contributing countries continuously maintain close coordination with the UN, including to obtain the latest information on the security and safety of troops in the field. Therefore, various matters or changes related to personnel participation in UNIFIL will be carried out with very careful consideration and attention to the situation on the ground, she said. To date, three TNI personnel have been killed and eight others injured in three separate attacks while carrying out duties with UNIFIL in Lebanon.