Malaysia supports international force in Palestine

Malaysia hopes that the United States will agree with the international community request for an international force to be sent to Palestine, reports Malaysian news agency "BERNAMA."

Malaysian foreign minister Syed Hamid Albar said Thursday the need for the setting up of a United Nations-administered International Force was a fair and justified call to stop the killing of Palestinians.

"The world community owes it to the Palestinians, to peace and security in the region to allow the deployment of the International Force, so both sides could go back to the areas of responsibility and violence could stop," he said.

The US, as the supporter and sponsor of Israel, he said, should do something to end the seven-week violence which until now had caused over 200 fatalities among Palestinian men, women and children.

Syed Hamid said that Malaysia had made a commitment to participate in the International Force should the UN Security Council decide to create one.

"It all rests with the US...on whether it can be stopped or not. This is reality," he said.

"We hope people in the European Union and other permanent members in the UN Security Council will be able to bring the US, together, to agree to the International Force," he said.