New Delhi
15 October 2009
India's assistance is critical for training and giving materiel rpt materiel
assistance to more recent or smaller United Nations (UN) peacekeeping-troops
contributing countries, UN Under Secretary General for Peacekeeping Alain Le Roy said
here Thursday.
He told a news conference that the UN could do with more Indian police personnel for
peacekeeping operations across the world. But he clarified that the UN has not asked
India for contributing more troops.
Mr Le Roy was in India for a three-day visit, during which he met with ministers and
officials in the ministries of home affairs, external affairs and defence. He also visited
the National Security Guards Training Centre in Gurgaon and similar facilities in
Hyderabad and Agra.
An estimated 8,767 Indian military and police are deployed in nine peacekeeping
missions throughout the world.
The Indian peacekeepers are stationed in Haiti, Democratic Republic of the Congo,
Cyprus, Lebanon, Liberia, Sudan, Timor-Leste (East Timor) and Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory
Coast). Also, 195 Indian peacekeepers are a part of the UN Disengagement Observer
Force.
120 Indian peacekeepers have died on UN missions.
Earlier in the day, Mr Le Roy addressed a gathering at the United Service Institution of
India. He said on the occasion that the UN peacekeeping stands at a crossroad today
and it needs the engagement of leaders such as India in making it more effective.
"India has a vital role to play [in] helping us to define appropriate standards for UN
peacekeeping [and] we intend to begin with some of the most common and recurring
military and police tasks undertaken by UN missions," he said.
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