Fiji coup could lead to removal from UN peacekeeping missions
By Malenie Judy,WNS Pacific Bureau Chief
SYDNEY - United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan has warned that Fiji would be withdrawn from UN peacekeeping missions if a feared military coup goes ahead, the government has said. Annan rang Fiji's prime minister, Laisenia Qarase, on Tuesday to say that a military coup would not be accepted or recognised, Fiji's government said in a press release. "A direct consequence would be that the UN would ask Fiji to withdraw from all UN peacekeeping operations," the statement quoted Annan as saying.
Qarase said he hoped the message from Annan would be taken seriously by Fiji's military. "It is our soldiers and the people generally who will bear the brunt of an unlawful takeover of government," the statement said. Fiji has about 1,000 troops involved in peacekeeping in the Sinai in the Middle East, Iraq and East Timor and the Solomon Islands. The peacekeeping duties provide a large income and considerable prestige for Fiji's military.
Fiji's rebellious military commander, Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama, has repeatedly threatened to force the government from power. He gave Qarase until Monday next week to comply with a list of "non-negotiable" demands. But a glimmer of hope for a peaceful solution emerged on Tuesday with the announcement Qarase and Bainimarama would meet in the New Zealand capital Wellington for talks on Wednesday.
posted by wnsworld @ 8:14 PM
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