Fiji has announced it will send a further 380
troops to join a U.N. peacekeeping force in the Golan Heights, lifting the
Pacific nation's contribution to 562.
The move comes
after several countries withdrew from the peacekeeping force due to escalating
violence stemming from the Syrian conflict.
Prime Minister
Voreqe Bainimarama said the additional soldiers would leave for the tense
border between Syria and Israel in the next few weeks, the Fiji Sun reported.
"They'll leave before the end of this month,"
Bainimarama said during a state visit to the Solomon Islands over the weekend,
the newspaper reported.
Japan and
Croatia have already pulled out their contingents and Austria, previously the
top contributor with almost 380 soldiers, is in the process of doing the same.
The Philippines
has also raised the prospect of withdrawing, while U.N. Secretary General Ban
Ki-moon last week said he was "seriously concerned" about the force's
dwindling numbers.
A Fiji
government statement said Russia had signalled its approval of Fiji involvement
when Bainimarama visited Moscow last month and had offered assistance to the
Pacific nation's peacekeepers.
Foreign Affairs
Minister Inoke Kubuabola's office told AFP the assistance would be in the form
of military equipment but declined to provide further details.
The United
Nations Disengagement Observer Force has been monitoring a ceasefire between
Syria and Israel in the Golan since 1974, but violence has escalated as the
Syrian conflict spills over into the area.
Fiji's military
has a long history of contributing to U.N. peacekeeping forces but Bainimarama
said last month that the Golan Heights deployment was potentially the most
dangerous mission they had faced.
AFP
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