Fiji has sent mixed messages on whether its 45 United Nations peacekeepers that are being held captive by Syrian insurgents will be freed soon.

Al Qaida-linked Syrian rebels holding 45 Fijian peacekeepers hostage have issued a set of demands for their release, an official said today.

Under cover of darkness, 40 Filipino peacekeepers escaped their besieged outpost in the Golan Heights after a seven-hour gunbattle with Syrian rebels, Philippine officials have said.