Official says no plan to withdraw peace keeping forces from Golan Heights

MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) - The military is aware of the risk confronting Filipino forces deployed for peace keeping mission in the troubled Golan Heights, but it has no plan to withdraw, a senior official said today.

"Golan Heights is a risky place as any other (areas where have peacekeepers), that's why we are there  to prevent conflict... There is the risk that we'll be hurt because there is conflict there," Armed Forces chief Gen. Emmanuel Bautista said.

Bautista made the remarks a day after a Filipino peacekeeper was injured by a wayward indirect fire that landed at Camp Ziouni, about three to four kilometers away from where Syrian government and rebel forces are fighting.

Asked if the military would pullout its forces in Golan Heights, Bautista said: "it's a political, it's a foreign relations issue and we submit to whatever the decision is to be. We just implement (orders)."

Told of Austria's decision to pullout its peacekeepers from Golan Heights, Bautista said: "That's a national decision of Austria."

Austria's decision leaves the Philippines and India as the only countries contributing peacekeepers to Golan Heights.

Reports had it that Austria's decision was reportedly due to lack of freedom and an unacceptable level of danger to its peacekeepers. A number of peacekeepers in the troubled area had been kidnapped during the past months.

Apart from Golan Heights, Filipino forces are also involved in peacekeeping missions in Haiti and Liberia as part of the government's commitment to United Nation's efforts to restoring peace in strife-torn areas.