Malaysia troops leave for UN duty in Lebanon

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 2 (Reuters) The first batch of 100 Malaysian soldiers left for Lebanon today on a United Nations peacekeeping mission, a military spokesman said.

A final contingent of 260 soldiers from the mainly Muslim country will follow on January 15, he said.

Israel had initially objected to peacekeepers coming from nations which do not recognise the Jewish state, but later relaxed that stance.

Both Malaysia and neighbouring Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation and which has also sent troops to Lebanon, have no diplomatic ties with Israel.

The UN force is being deployed in Lebanon after a truce halted Israel's 34-day war with Hezbollah guerrillas in mid-August.

Malaysia's Defence Minister Najib Razak has said his country was ready to increase the number of troops in Lebanon if the UN extends the Malaysian mandate beyond six months.

The Malaysian soldiers will be based in the town of Marjayoun near the Syrian border, he said.

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