US requests Fijian peacekeepers

By Phil Mercer
BBC correspondent in Sydney

Fijian soldiers are renowned around the world

The United States is urging Fiji to send peacekeeping troops to Iraq.

But while Washington is willing to provide equipment and logistical support, it has said it can not pay soldiers' wages.

The Fijian Government is said to be unwilling to send troops to Iraq at its own expense.

US Ambassador David Lyon told the Fiji Sun newspaper that the government was interested in playing its part in maintaining global stability.

The deployment of troops to the Gulf would, the ambassador said, maintain Fiji's position as one of the leading peacekeeping nations.

The South Pacific country has a long and proud history of sending its forces to the world's trouble-spots.

Vital experience

The most recent deployment was in the Solomon Islands as part of the Australian-led intervention.

Fijian soldiers have also served with the United Nations in East Timor and Lebanon.

However, the government has been forced to cut the military budget and despite an apparent willingness to contribute in Iraq, it seems unlikely Fiji will do so at its own expense.

The Americans would be willing to pay for uniforms, some weapons and transport but not salaries or other financial entitlements.

More than 1,000 Fijians are currently serving in the British Army, some of them in Iraq.

About 500 former soldiers from Fiji are working as mercenaries in the region.

Three were injured in a bomb blast north of Baghdad last week when a convoy carrying new Iraqi currency was attacked.