Iran ready to send peace troops to crisis-hit countries

Senior Iranian Army officials announced that Tehran is prepared to dispatch troops to crisis-stricken regions at the request of the UN to conduct peacekeeping missions.Undertaking peacekeeping missions by the Iranian forces indicates the power and strength of Iran's Armed Forces," Iranian Army Ground Force Commander Brigadier General Ahmad Reza Pourdastan said. He continued that the well-trained and skilled peacekeeping forces would be sent to any international missions considered necessary by the UN. The commander added that the forces were familiar with three English, Arabic and French languages and have accomplished various courses in combat and guerrila warfare.He further expressed the hope that Iranian peacekeepers would start their first mission in a near future. He added that due arrangements were made by Iran's Foreign Ministry to facilitate dispatch of Iranian peacekeeping forces to foreign missions. Pourdastan had also earlier underlined his forces readiness for UN missions in any part of the world. "The peacekeeping unit of the Army Ground Force is waiting for the relevant orders (by the UN) to be dispatched to the countries specified by the UN," Pourdastan told reporters on the sidelines of a meeting with a number of foreign military attachés in Tehran on Tuesday night in April. Stressing that Iran, like any other country, has formed a peacekeeping unit which enjoys a highly integrated structure, he stated that the Army's peacekeeping unit will be dispatched to the places and countries announced by the UN as soon as the Iranian foreign ministry communicates the relevant orders to the Army. Meantime, Pourdastan rejected speculations that Iran intends to dispatch its peacekeeping unit to Bahrain. Iran has called on all the world states and various international bodies to take action to stop massacre of the people in the tiny Persian Gulf island. Anti-government protests against the rule of the Al Khalifa dynasty began in Bahrain in mid-February. On March 13, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates dispatched armed forces to the country not for a peacekeeping mission by the US, but to intensify the crackdown on anti-government protesters. Tens of people have been killed and over 1,000 others injured since riot police and troops initiated a second round of offensives against the protesters.