Call to arm Hezbollah and be peacekeeper ?

On 4 August, Malaysia's defence chief Admiral Mohamad Anwar Mohamad Nor reportedly said Malaysia would send 1,000 soldiers to Lebanon as soon as a ceasefire was declared. Four days later on 8 August, Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar (left) reportedly said Muslim nations should consider supplying arms to Hezbollah amid anger and frustration over Israel's offensive in Lebanon.

Can an armed force of a country which has taken an official position to call for supply of arms to one side of an conflict be expected and perceived to be politically neutral as well as emotively disinterested peacekeeper? Does Malaysia still has a coherent Government to coordinate policy positions of different ministries such as Foreign on one hand and Defence on the other?

As a matter of public record, I had raised the question even before defence chief Admiral Mohamad Anwar Mohamad Nor (left) and Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar issued their mutually contradictory and self-cancelling statements. This is what I entered on 1 August in this blog under the headline Peacekeeping force to Israel-Lebanon border :

" While I agree with FM Syed Hamid Albar's call for an immediate ceasefire in the Middle East and a formal United Nations peacekeeping force to be sent to the Israel-Lebanon border, I disagree with any idea that armed forces that are predominated by Muslims or Jews, including the Malaysian Armed Forces, to be drafted for United Nations' peacekeeping efforts.

The reason is to avoid co-religionist bias which may worsen the situation. So, the ideal UN peacekeeping forces should be one composed of secular and religiously non-partisan forces from India, Russia, China, Thailand and other states in non-Islamic Africa such as South Africa. May be the Barisan Nasional government should also designate MIC's Samy Vellu to be Malaysia's spokesman on the Middle East Crisis for the same purpose."

Malaysia readies 1,000 soldiers for Lebanon
http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/54921

Syed Hamid: OIC nations should arm Hezbollah
http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/55055