INDONESIA COMMITTED TO CONTRIBUTING TO UN PEACEKEEPING MISSIONS by Fardah

   Jakarta, Feb 10, 2017 (Antara) - Indonesia has been participating in the United Nations (UN) peacekeeping missions since 1957 and until now remains committed to contributing to the organization's efforts to maintain peace in the conflict-torn parts of the world.

        The Indonesian government's strong commitment was recently reiterated by Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi during a coordination meeting held to discuss the deployment of Indonesian personnel in the UN Peacekeeping Forces.   
   Indonesian peacekeepers play an important role in maintaining international peace and security, according to Marsudi.

        "Indonesia's participation in the UN peacekeeping mission is the implementation of the mandate of the fourth paragraph of the preamble of the 1945 Constitution to create world order and is an integral part of its foreign policy and diplomacy," the minister noted.

        Indonesia is one of the biggest contributors in deploying its security personnel in the UN Peacekeeping Forces, in addition to providing the equipment of its main weaponry system for peace missions in 10 countries.        
   In fact, Indonesia is the tenth-biggest contributor among 124 countries that contribute to the UN Peacekeeping Forces.

        "During the meeting, we established coordination to strengthen Indonesia's commitment to maintaining the sustainability of the peace mission," the minister had stated on December 5, 2016.

        Marsudi emphasized that the meeting was held to coordinate the sustainability of Indonesia's role in the deployment of its personnel in the UN Peacekeeping Forces to maintain peace.

        With regard to the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), the minister said Indonesia has become the country that contributes the highest number of personnel to the mission, having sent 1,296 out of the total of 10,490 personnel from 40 countries involved.

        "The UNIFIL mission is the biggest peace mission, with the number of personnel reaching 11,345 if the count of civilian and police forces is included," she informed.

        In October 2016, Minister Marsudi addressed a pre-assignment training course for the mechanical battalion task force of the Indonesian military's Garuda Contingent (Konga) XXIII-K to UNIFIL at the Indonesian military's peacekeeping mission center in Jakarta's southern outskirts of Sentulon.

        The pre-assignment training is a routine program for Indonesian military personnel who will be deployed in a post-conflict area as a peacekeeping force.

        The mechanical battalion task force comprises 850 personnel, including 18 women. They were scheduled to join UNIFIL in December 2016.

        "Indonesia's participation in the UNIFIL mission is part of the efforts to support the creation of peace and stability in the Middle East, particularly in Lebanon," Marsudi remarked.

        The matter is relevant to the mandate set by the UN Security Council through Resolution 1701 of 2006, she added.

        She signaled that Indonesia will increase the number of Indonesian military personnel involved in the UN peacekeeping missions.

        Since six decades, Indonesia has sent a total of 35 thousand peacekeeping personnel to operate under the UN as part of more than 40 missions.

        In 2014, Indonesia had 2,867 personnel serving in 10 peacekeeping missions in various parts of the world, and the minister disclosed her plan to raise it to four thousand by 2019.

        She called on all personnel serving in the UN peacekeeping missions to carry out their tasks well.

        "You will be monitored by the world while on duty in other countries. It is not easy to carry out a mission while being monitored by other countries in places that have a different environment and culture," she noted.

        While peacekeeping is the main objective, no less important are the efforts to prevent conflicts. Hence, for Indonesia, prevention is more important and must receive constant attention.

        In January 2017, Indonesia had sent 140 policemen of the Garuda Bhayangkara II Formed Police Unit (FPU) to serve the UN peacekeeping operations in Darfur, Sudan, Africa.

        "This is a UN peacekeeping mission in Darfur. You are expected to be able to create and maintain peace in Sudan following a prolonged conflict there," National Police Chief General Tito Karnavian remarked while leading a ceremony to see off the police officers.

        The officers flew to Sudan on Jan 20 from the Halim Perdanakusuma Air Force Base located in East Jakarta.

        The 140 police officers comprised 100 tactical members and 40 members of the support staff.

        The officers joined the FPU IX in Sudan for a year, replacing the FPU VIII team that had completed its assignment.

        As part of the commitment, Indonesia established an Indonesian Peace and Security Center (IPSC), which was inaugurated by then president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in Sentul, Bogor District, West Java Province, on December 19, 2011.

        The 240-hectare IPSC facility includes a center to train and prepare military personnel for participation in the UN peacekeeping missions.

        Yudhoyono said the world-class center is needed to create qualified military officers, as Indonesia is actively participating in world peacekeeping missions.

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(T.F001/A/BESSR/F. Assegaf) 10-02-2017