Peace-keeping mission a pride

Peace-keeping mission a pride

JAKARTA (JP): Taking part in the peace-keeping mission in
Afghanistan would not only be an honor but would also improve the
Indonesian military's image, a legislator said on Thursday.

"But above all, the request should come from the UN," said
Ibrahim Ambong, chairman of the House of Representatives
Commission I in charge of defense and security.

Military and government officials have expressed readiness to
dispatch peace-keeping forces to Afghanistan any time the UN
requests.

Indonesia has played an active role in peace-keeping in
various countries from the Suez Canal, Egypt in 1957 to the
Philippines in 1997.

Ambong played down possible resistance from local hardline
Muslim groups, saying that the opposition could be motivated by
anti-American sentiments.

The mission would be mostly humanitarian in nature as the
Afghans needed peace to rebuild their country after the war, he
said. --Antara