Fijians are proud of their peace-keepers

Press, 26 April 1984, Page 20

Fijians are proud of their peace-keepers

(By

Barry Renfrew,

of the Associated Press, in Suva.)

The chaos in Lebanon echoes all the way to this South Pacific island nation, where young men wear T-shirts advertising Beirut and Tel Aviv nightspots, and the nation struggles with the cost of a distant war.

When much larger nations have pulled out of Lebanon, 1200 Fijian soldiers — half the army — are on peace-keeping duty in Lebanon and the Sinai Peninsula.

For five years, Fijian soldiers have been serving with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, with troops from nine other nations.

A second Fijian battalion is in the Sinai with the multinational force which includes Americans, Colombians and Uruguayans. Fiji has lost 16 men in Lebanon, more than any other United Nations unit. At the same time, the United Nations is $l5 million behind on payments for maintaining the Fijian force. Fijians regard their role with, deep pride. Thousands of young men compete for the few dozen openings in the army each year in hopes of going to the Middle East. Colonel Ratu Epeli Nailatikau, now the army commander, headed the first battalion of 500 men sent to Lebanon in 1978. “We wanted to

stand up and be counted, and to play a practical role, not just lip service,” he said. “The first thing we had to do was carry around a map of the Pacific showing where Fiji is,” said Lieutenant-Colonel Jim Sanday. “People looked at my badge and said, ‘What’s this F-one-J--one?’ ”

The Fijians often clashed with Palestine Liberation Organisation forces trying to move south towards Israel. Since the P.L.O. was driven out, the Fijians have been confronting Christian militia. The Fijians have earned a reputation for toughness and fairness. “Both sides are very high on the Fijian troops, because they’re good soldiers and even-handed,” said the United States Ambassador, Mr Fred Eckert.

The Fijians’ reputation prompted Israel and Egypt to request they join the Sinai peacekeeping force monitoring the Camp David accords between the two nations. Fiji responded with a second battalion of 500 men.

Fiji’s future in Lebanon is threatened by the growing United Nations debt. A $l5 million deficit is a huge sum for a small nation already facing serious economic problems because of crop failures in the vital sugar industry.

The United Nations assesses its members to maintain its Lebanon force, but the Soviet bloc has refused to pay, contending that Israel should carry the full cost. Fiji has had no problems with payments for the United Statesfinanced Sinai force.