Keeping peace was a main point on the agenda Nepali officials discussed with the United Nations during Kofi Annan's 12-13 March visit to Kathmandu. Perhaps, as an outcome, the Royal Nepal Army is to deploy 900 soldiers for UN peacekeeping duty in troubled Sierra Leone in June. They will partly replace the 4,000 Indian and Jordanian peacekeepers there now. This will be the first time Nepali soldiers will be deployed in Africa. At present 800 Nepalis are serving in Lebanon and 200 in East Timor. Since its first peacekeeping assignment under the UN in 1958, over 36,000 Nepali have served under the UN's command. Defence Ministry officials say the soldiers are expected to earn Rs 150 million in their six months in Sierra Leone. Nepali UN peacekeepers in Lebanon and East Timor currently bring in about the same amount.