UN bans Fiji troops-yes, yes, no actually

No Right Turn posts:-

Fiji: great news if its true

Last night Australian Prime Minister claimed that the UN was going to ban Fiji from future peacekeeping missions. It hasn’t been confirmed yet by UN authorities, but its great news if its true. This is a measure which strikes directly at the Fijian military – at its prestige, and its income. It sends a clear message to every Fijian soldier that the regime has cost them a pile of tax-free US dollars. And it deprives the military of an income stream they use to both justify their excessive size and build up their capabilities for oppression. In short, it would be a highly effective measure; the real question is why they didn’t do it sooner.

Well yes and then well no, because as this article makes clear today in The DomPost:-

But it does not affect several hundred Fijian soldiers employed at present on UN peacekeeping missions.

The UN has so far resisted calls from New Zealand and Australia to scrap those missions and bring the Fijian troops home early in protest at Fiji’s refusal to hold elections.

It is expected to keep rolling those missions over for now, meaning the economic impact of last year’s decision on new deployments is likely to be minimal.

Seems like a slap with a wet bus ticket. All rather reminiscent of one of the characters in the Vicar of Dibley really.

If the Fijians were to bring their troops home from UN missions NZ and Australia are in no position to replace them. Which nations have the trained and effective troops to replace the Fijians. All very well getting moralistic, but as far as the UN is concerned Fiji is a very useful source of trained, professional manpower. Other countries are reluctant to supply troops.

As for the UK getting rid of some 2000 Fijians in their forces, highly unlikely given the highly stretched state of UK Army.

Consequently Adam suggests that NRT has it wrong and the move is certainly unlikely to have any immediate effect.

Further there is the potentially negative impact of sending several hundred troops home to add to the number of armed, trained troops in the country. Unlikely to make the Commodore feel more reasonably disposed towards NZ.

On a tangential note the print edition headline makes it clear that the ban applies to new missions, but the online article implies something different entirely; more sloppiness from the Fairfax stable.

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