If and when Sri Lanka forges an unlikely lasting peace with the LTTE, how does one keep the more than 120,000-strong military gainfully occupied?

In the 1950s, the then rag-tag army was assigned the frivolous job of clearing ganja plantations deep in the jungles of north-western province in a military exercise aptly code-named "Operation Ganja."

With a fragile ceasefire currently limping its way into a fifth month - and no ganja plantations in plain sight - the government is seriously toying with the idea of providing the United Nations with Sri Lankan troops for peacekeeping operations worldwide.

Now that the war is almost over, says a supremely confident Foreign Minister Tyronne Fernando, Sri Lanka can send its soldiers to keep the peace in some of the world's major hotspots, including Sierra Leone, Cyprus, Lebanon and Western Sahara. The government, he adds, has already sent Sri Lankan soldiers to Bangladesh for training in peacekeeping.

Perhaps before the end of this year - and provided there is no resumption in fighting - Sri Lankan soldiers will don blue-helmets in the cause of global peace.

And since the Tigers are eventually expected to be absorbed into the country's regular armed forces, Sri Lanka may even consider sending some of the LTTE's onetime suicide bombers on UN peace missions overseas.

The UN's peacekeeping operation is a high growth industry, with countries such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal raking in millions of dollars every year by providing thousands of soldiers and leasing military equipment for hefty fees.

Besides daily rations and housing, the average UN soldier gets about $1,000 a month (about Rs 98,000), a princely sum by Third World standards.

According to an anecdote circulating in Kathmandu, if a Nepali soldier is given a choice between a UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon or a cut-price ticket to heaven, he would pick the former: "Send me to Lebanon first, I can go to heaven later."

Currently, the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has one of the largest contingents of Nepali soldiers who return home with plenty of savings to buy house and property - and go into permanent retirement.

Of the $917 million owed to 75 countries for providing troops last year, the United Nations owed over $94.3 million to a single country: India.

The United Nations also owed $43.4 million to Nigeria, $40 million to Jordan, $25.9 million to Pakistan, $25.2 million to Kenya, $24.7 million to Bangladesh and $21.7 million to Zambia.

The largest single payment, however, was to the United States, amounting to $140.2 million , with India ranking next.

As of April this year, there were 46,445 military personnel and civilian police serving in 15 UN peacekeeping missions worldwide.

The only occasion when Sri Lanka provided troops - really a token contingent -- was for UN operations in the Congo in the 1950s.

Sri Lanka's decision to participate in UN missions is also part of a new user-friendly relationship with the world body.

Last year during a trip to South Asia, including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal, Secretary-General Kofi Annan avoided Sri Lanka because he had no formal invitation to visit the country. Annan has now accepted an offer by the present government to visit Sri Lanka in the near future.

Annan and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe have exchanged several letters. On a request by the government, a multi-agency "needs assessment team", comprising representatives of key UN agencies, visited Sri Lanka recently. The prime minister has also sought UN assistance for an investment forum to be held in New York during his proposed visit to the United Nations to address the General Assembly sessions in September.

With Sri Lanka trying to build a new working relationship with the United Nations, the foreign minister is also making a pitch for the job of Secretary-General which falls vacant in December 2006.

"The Asians had their chance last year but lost it because they did not come up with a powerful and credible candidate," he said. "We don't want to be left out in 2006. Asia should get its act together."

Asked if he has plans to run for office himself, he said: "All I have said is I am available."
But he pointed out that he has no intentions of making any formal declarations because "there's a long way to go".

"I am only offering my services. I am not going to bulldoze my way. I am sure there will be other candidates. But I would urge the Asian countries to come up with a consensus candidate."

Asked if the government has endorsed his possible candidature, he laughed, and said half-jokingly: "I am the foreign minister. I am the government".

The only Asian to hold the post of Secretary-General was U.Thant of Burma (now Myanmar). The post has previously been held by Trygve Lie of Norway (1946-1953); Dag Hammarskjold of Sweden (1953-1961); U. Thant (1961-1971); Kurt Waldheim of Austria (1972-1981); Javier Perez de Cuellar of Peru (1982-1991); and Boutros Boutros-Ghali (1992-1996). Annan is from Ghana.

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