Indonesia would send Iraq peacekeepers

JAKARTA, Indonesia --Indonesia's foreign minister said Wednesday that his country would be willing to send peacekeepers to Iraq and could encourage other Muslim countries to do the same.

Indonesia has previously rejected the possibility of sending troops to Iraq. Those previous discussions centered on an international peacekeeping force separate from the U.S.-led occupation.

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono told President Bush, who visited Indonesia this week, that any long-term solution to the turmoil in Iraq should include more countries than are currently involved.

Asked if that could mean sending Indonesian troops as part of a future peacekeeping mission, Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda said: "If we have that opportunity, why not?"

Indonesia also would be willing to try to convince other Muslim nations to follow suit, he said.