Belgian Defense Minister Andre Flahaut has joined the call to deploy Belgian troops to help keep the peace in southern Lebanon, online newsletter Expatica reported on Thursday.

It reported that the minister has requested the army's General Staff to examine how Belgium could be of assistance.

One of the largest unions that represents Belgium's armed services personnel has expressed doubts that there may not be enough ground troops available to take part in any peace-keeping mission to southern Lebanon, pointing to the large number of soldiers already involved in missions elsewhere.

The union fears that Foreign Minister Karel De Gucht who made the same call on Wednesday, may be trying to score "brownie points " on the international stage, without taking into account the safety of Belgian troops.

Belgium already has a total of 854 troops deployed across three continents. The largest contingent is in Afghanistan, as part of the NATO mission. The vast majority are being used to guard Kabul Airport, with 300 more due to leave for Afghanistan to join a multinational force lead by France and Turkey by the end of 2006.

Source: Xinhua