Fiji refuses to confirm ransom paid for its peacekeepers

Fiji's Minister of Foreign Affairs Ratu Inoke Kubuabola has not confirmed nor denied that the Qatar government paid $20 million for the release of 45 Fijian UN peacekeepers in Syria Sep 11.

Fiji had sought the Qatar government's assistance for the release of 45 Fijian UN peacekeepers, who were abducted from their post near Golan Heights Aug 28 by the Syrian rebel group, al-Nusra Front, Fiji Live reported.

It was reported that Qatar had paid $20 million as ransom to the militants from the al-Nusra Front for the release of abducted Fijian UN peacekeepers.

This development came a day after Qatar's foreign affairs ministry announced that it had brokered the release of the 45 UN peacekeepers at the request of the Fijian government.

"The efforts of the State of Qatar led to the successful release of the Fijian soldiers who had been held for two weeks," the Qatari foreign ministry said in a statement.

The al-Nusra Front is reported to be in control of 80 percent of Syria's border with Israel.