Israel drops objection to Indonesia sending troops to Lebanon

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Indonesia says Israel has dropped its objections to Indonesian troops taking part in the expanded United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon.

Jakarta says it will send up to 1,000 troops to uphold a ceasefire between Israel and the Lebanese-based Hezbollah group.

Defence Minister Juwono Sudarsono says a 12-member advance party is due to leave for Lebanon "within a few days", with the main contingent expected on the ground within a month.

He says the Indonesian troops will fly to the Lebanese capital, Beirut, on chartered flights, while their heavy equipment would follow by sea.

ABC Radio (Australia)

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1. Turkish FM: Troops to go to Lebanon for peacekeeping purposes

ANKARA, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said here Friday that Turkish troops would go to Lebanon just for peacekeeping purposes, not to fight.

Gul made the remarks in response to a recent media report that forces in Lebanon would be involved in clashes and might be forced to disarm groups.

Turkish troops would not have any duty such as collecting the arms of a certain group there and they would organize and support humanitarian aid in Lebanon, Gul said at a news conference with Hikmet Cetin, who completed his term as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)'s senior representative to Afghanistan.

"There is no doubt that troops should also be authorized to protect themselves. If you don't give them this authorization, then you will endanger their lives," the foreign minister said.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2006-09/01/content_5037632.htm