Military chiefs from Southeast Asia's three mainly Islamic countries said today they were willing to send about 2,000 personnel to any UN peacekeeping force for Lebanon.

Indonesian military chief Djoko Suyanto said that the forces from Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia would be prepared while awaiting approval by the United Nations Security Council to be included under any peacekeeping contingent.

"The message that we want to convey is that the UN must know how serious these three countries are in preparing this mission," he said after talks with his Malaysian counterpart Mohammad Anwar and Brunei military chief Awang Halbi.

"That, perhaps, is one asset that we can convey to the UN, that Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei have an advanced preparation for this mission," he told reporters.

UN officials remain reluctant to talk about peacekeeping in Lebanon until the Security Council has decided how to end hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, which have left more than 1,000 dead in the past four weeks.

"There is a very great suffering in that region... that's what we see. We do not see this as Muslims against Israel," Suyanto said.

1,000 from Malaysia

Malaysia announced last week that it would send 1,000 soldiers to Lebanon as soon as a ceasefire was declared. Anwar told reporters that Malaysia was also prepared to send armored personnel carriers and a logistic ship.

Brunei's Halbi said his nation could ready up to 200 personnel, while Indonesia has already said it is prepared to commit a battalion, which is normally about 850 soldiers.

Suyanto added that while the countries were willing to send soldiers as part of a UN peacekeeping mission, they would discuss further the possibility of sending troops as part of a multinational force if that became necessary.

Israel has demanded a force of at least 15,000 soldiers that can keep Hezbollah fighters away from positions where they can attack Israel.

Lebanon has countered with a plan to deploy 15,000 of its own troops which it says reduces the need for anything other than a strengthened version of the current UN Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil).

Unifil, which faces fuel and other supply shortages that could force it to virtually halt its operation this weekend, currently has about 1,190 troops.