Australia to send peacekeepers to Golan Heights

Australia and Fiji will deploy a peacekeeping mission to Syria as soon as next week.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison with the Fiji Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama at the Grand Pacific Hotel in Suva, Fiji on Friday. Picture: AAP

Australia and Fiji will deploy a peacekeeping mission to Golan Heights as soon as next week, as part of the countries’ long-running commitment to peace in the Middle East.

The move comes just days after the US pulled out of the country’s north and Turkey launched a military offensive that is now into its third day.

Scott Morrison revealed the deployment in the locker room at the Prime Minister’s XIII rugby league match in Suva, Fiji, while talking to the Australian men’s players. The deployment is not related to current events in northern Syria.

“I just met some of the (Australian Defence Force) boys upstairs who are going to be deploying with the Fijians over in Syria. And they’re going to be going there next week. Our Australians are going over there, training them, supporting them,” the Prime Minister said.

A Defence spokeswoman said the co-deployment involving Australia and Fiji would begin as soon as the UN processes and approvals were finalised.

The two countries have been working on a co-deployment as part of the UN Disengagement Observer Force mission, which was established in 1974 to maintain the ceasefire between Israel and Syria. Australia has been there in different peacekeeping missions since 1956.

“This is part of both countries longstanding commitment to UN peace keeping operations in the Middle East,” the Defence spokeswoman said.

The Weekend Australian understands the ADF personnel will be deployed to the disputed territory of Golan Heights, on the border of Syria and Israel. Australian troops will be there at the request of the UN and with the approval of Israel and Syria.

Mr Morrison on Friday also talked up the prospect of stronger military ties with Fiji and reminded the Pacific island nation Australia is its natural partner of choice in defence during his second official visit to the country in a year. Acknowledging the world was witnessing “a shifting of power dynamics”, the Prime Minister will on Saturday tour the Black Rock military base Australia agreed to redevelop as Western nations push back against Chinese President Xi Jinping’s increased spending and influence in the region.