Indonesia asks UN to jointly finance Lebanon peacekeeping force

JAKARTA, Nov. 23 (Xinhua) -- Indonesian government asked the United Nations (UN) to pay part of the operation cost following the UN's request for Indonesia to provide warship to support the UN's peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, the Jakarta Globe reported here on Monday.

Indonesian Defense Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro said that he hoped the UN would share some of the financial burden of Indonesia's participation in the UN Maritime Task Force peacekeeping mission.

"Principally, we are OK to fulfill the request. The warship and the soldiers are ready. But there are costs for that. We want to share the financial burden with the UN with a clear mechanism," Purnomo was quoted as saying on Sunday.

Purnomo said that participating in a UN peacekeeping mission was an honor, but costs were high and the government's budget was limited.

The Indonesian Navy has previously said it is heavily in debt, which has badly-affected the number of its sailing hours, including for search-and-rescue and law enforcement activities.

Major General Supiadin, the Indonesian military operation deputy chief, said that Indonesian delegation is lobbying at UN headquarters in New York at the moment.

The delegation would explain that sharing the financial burden could enhance the involvement of Indonesian troops as UN peacekeepers.

The KRI Diponegoro was the first Indonesian Navy warship to join a UN peacekeeping mission. It was dispatched to Lebanon in March and arrived in Indonesia last week.

Source: Xinhua.
Link: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-11/23/content_12524665.htm.