150 MORE TROOPS FOR PEACEKEEPING MISSION IN LEBANON

KUALA LUMPUR, May 12 (Bernama) -- Malaysia will send 150 additional troops
to Lebanon to join the Malcon West contingent serving under the United Nations
Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil), possibly by end of the month.

Air Force Chief Azizan Ariffin said the armed forces were ready for the
deployment and was now awaiting the approval from the cabinet.

"We received request from the United Nations for the additional troops. This
is an honour for the country and the armed forces... the government will make
the final decision," he told reporters after the disbandment of the Malcon East
3 contingent here Tuesday.

Azizan said if the government approved the deployment, there would be a
restructuring in the Malaysian peacekeeping force there, with 60 Malcon East
members to be transferred to the Malcon West.

The 230-member Malcom West contingent is currently deployed near the
Lebanon-Israel border in At Tiri while the 360-member Malcon East is in Koukaba,
about 8km from the border.

The Malcom West contingent would involve in overseeing the Lebanon election
in June.

Azizan said the Malaysian troops' presence and the various community
programmes implemented by them uplifted the spirit of the local people.

Meanwhile, in a speech read out by Azizan, Chief of Defence Forces Gen Abdul
Aziz Zainal congratulated the 360-member Malcon East 3 for a job well done and
received recognition from the Unifil headquarters and the UN.

"All this cannot be achieve without the sincere sacrifice and high
dedication of the personnel involved and the excellent combination among the
three services," he said.

The Malcon East 3, headed by Col Mohd Ezam Wan Chik, was deployed on July 30
last year and returned home on April 30.
-- BERNAMA