ISLAMABAD, May 28: Foreign Secretary Riaz Khokhar on Friday reiterated Pakistan's commitment to upholding peace, citing its role as the largest contributor of peacekeepers to the United Nations, constituting 13 per cent of the global share.

He was speaking at a seminar on "Pakistan in UN Peacekeeping Operations," jointly organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) here.

The seminar was held to mark the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers, commemorated around the world on May 29 to pay tribute "to all the men and women who have served and continue to serve in the UN peacekeeping operations, as well as to honour the memory of those who lost their lives in the cause of peace."

Mr. Khokhar stated that for decades, Pakistan military personnel, police officials and foreign office professionals had played decisive roles in numerous peacekeeping operations around the world, including Cambodia, Somalia, Bosnia, East Timor and Sierra Leone.

"Since 1960, we have participated in 28 missions. Today in all, 7,697 of our troops and police personnel are serving in eight peacekeeping missions in Africa, Asia and Europe," Mr. Khokhar informed.

He further said in the coming months, Pakistan would send 1,700 troops and supporting personnel to the new peacekeeping missions in Burundi and Cote d'Ivoire.

He termed peacekeeping the "most vital achievement and lasting legacy of the United Nations in the past half century" and said it was crucial for stabilising post-conflict areas, bringing about reconciliation and reconstruction and preventing further conflicts.

Suggesting that it was an "obligation for us to share our expertise and experience in a more structured manner," he proposed the establishment of a Peacekeeping Training Institute in Pakistan, to be developed as a centre of excellence for imparting professional training.

Mr Khokhar paid tribute to the efforts and achievements of Pakistani peacekeepers and dedicated the day to the 66 Pakistani soldiers who had given up their lives for the cause of peace, "the ultimate sacrifice."

"We salute our peacekeepers - our brave soldiers - who have upheld the cause of peace in different parts of the world and in so doing have earned prestige and honour for themselves and their country," he said.

Speaking to the reporters after the event, Mr. Khokhar expressed optimism at continuation of the peace process with India, having received positive remarks from the members of the new Indian government.

He said, while no date or venue had been set for dialogue between the two states just yet, Pakistan would be happy to go to Delhi for talks or welcome them to Islamabad.

In response to a question, he said no commitment had been made to send troops to Iraq following establishment of a new government there in June. Earlier, UN resident representative Onder Yucer read the message of the UN secretary-general, Kofi Annan, on International Day of UN Peacekeepers 2004, in which he urged the member states to provide peacekeepers and resources needed to sustain new operations, such as in Burundi and Sudan.

"The growth in missions is a welcome sign that many countries are choosing a healthier path as they emerge from violent conflicts. But it places enormous strain on our existing resources," the message read.

Mr. Annan outlined the multifaceted role of peacekeepers, explaining that they engaged in such tasks as assisting political transitions, building institutions, supporting economic reconstruction, supervising elections, and disarming former combatants.

"Peacekeeping missions can never end wars by themselves. But they do offer the best possible way of ensuring that there is a sustainable peace," he said. In his welcoming remarks, Head of UNIC Islamabad, Tetsuo Ohno, explained that the success of peacekeeping was dependent upon the genuine desire for peace of the warring factions, a clear operation mandate, strong international support and availability of resources.

Maj Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha, former UN Force Commander in Sierra Leone and Alamgir Babar, Director-General Ministry of Foreign Affairs and former COS to UNSG's Special Representative in Bosnia, shared their personal experiences having been involved in peacekeeping missions.