Hopes dim for return of Philippine troops to Golan
MANILA - Philippine President Benigno Aquino III said he's been told security threats on the Syrian side of the Golan Heights are not expected to ease soon, dimming hopes that UN peacekeepers can be deployed back to the region in the near future.
A group of 244 Philippine peacekeepers were recalled and flew back to Manila on Friday, while 84 more were due home Sunday, ending a five-year presence in the Golan.
Aquino said his government was informed by the UN assistant secretary-general for peacekeeping operations, Edmond Mulet, that "there is no expectation" that the peacekeepers will be able to deploy back to the Syrian side of the Golan "in the short or mid-term."
