The Australian newspaper said Canberra has asked the U.N. to order a “progressive replacement of Fijian troops” in peacekeeping operations.
“We have conveyed our position on a number of occasions to the U.N. at senior levels, and the U.n. has advised us that it is aware of and has taken account of our position,” the newspaper quoted a Foreign Affairs Department spokesperson as saying.
The move follows from similar efforts by the Australian and New Zealand governments in recent months.
According to Ratu Epeli, “As far as I know there have been no changes to the current standing on peacekeeping.”
A meeting between senior U.N. officials and a Fiji delegation at the U.N. headquarters in New York last month ended with the assurance by the U.N. that the mandate governing Fiji’s peacekeeping in involvement in Iraq would be reviewed.
