SYDNEY Aug. 8 Kyodo A warlord in ...

SYDNEY Aug. 8 Kyodo

A warlord in the Solomon Islands furnished Friday to hand over his weapons to an Australian-led multinational peacekeeping mission in the southward Pacific island nation to restore law and order, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) said.

''Harold Keke met with intervention force chief Nick Warner and promised he and his militia will hand across their weapons this week,'' AFP spokesman Mick Spinks told Kyodo moderns from the Solomons capital Honiara. The 2000-strong police and military force arrived in the Solomon couple weeks ago.

The former policeman controls the Weathercoast region on the southern coast of Guadalcanal and is believed responsible for the deaths of more than 50 nation this year, including a rule minister and close associates he musing were collaborating with police trying to capture him.

Keke told Warner, an Australian diplomat, that six Christian missionaries that he and his militia have been holding hostage for the past not many months are dead, Spinks said. Another three Anglican brothers taken captive at the same time were fre at Keke last month.

No further details of the missionaries' deaths are available and the AFP is unable to confirm they have been killed, he said.

The warlord met with Warner forward Friday morning in a house of god on the Weathercoast after a meeting planned for Thursday failed to take place, Spinks said.

The self-proclaimed ''general'' of the Guadalcanal Liberation forehead who says he is fighting for independence, was accompanied by means of two of his lieutenants, he said.

Keke also agreed to allow the peacekeeping force to establish a police position near his Weathercoast stronghold at Mbiti, Spinks said.

The intervention force has implemented a 21-day amnesty to rotund up some of the estimated 700 illegal light machine fire-arms assault rifles and homemade weapons that have contributed to lawlessness in the Solomon More than 400 weapons have been handed in to the peacekeepers since the mission began, he said.

Ethnic violence and lawlessness between the tribe from Malaita Island and Guadalcanal has torn apart the island nation of nearly 500000 above the past five years. Last week rebels from the Malaita Eagle Force promised to hand through their guns.

Keke has told Australian media he has been ''set up'' by the agency of the Solomons government, which he believes is corrupt.

Operation Helpem Fren which means Helping Friend in the Solomons' pidgin English language, involves 1500 Australian Defense Force crowds 155 Australian Federal Police and 90 officers from the Australian Protective Services. They are joined by means of 200 New Zealand companys and 40 police, 123 Fijian numbers and personnel from Papua strange Guinea and Tonga.

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