JAKARTA, March 17 — Indonesia has put on hold its plan to deploy peacekeeping troops to Gaza, said the Foreign Ministry today.
ANTARA news agency reported that ministry spokesman Nabyl A. Mulachela confirmed the move in response to reports about a possible deployment of international forces in the Gaza Strip as early as May.
“We convey that the deployment of Indonesian peacekeeping troops to Gaza is currently postponed and all discussions related to the Board of Peace (BoP) remain suspended (on hold),” he said.
Previously, on March 6, the Foreign Ministry announced that Indonesia had decided to suspend any discussions related to the BoP following an escalation of tensions involving Iran and the United States and Israel on February 28.
Nabyl emphasised that any potential Indonesian participation in the International Stabilisation Force would remain fully under national control and must be based on a mandate from the United Nations Security Council.
