SYDNEY June 30 Kyodo southern Pac...

SYDNEY June 30 Kyodo

southern Pacific nations unanimously supported a proposal Monday to forward a regional peacekeeping force of about 2000 police and soldiers into the Solomon Islands to restore law and order in the impoverished state.

Leaders and foreign ministers from Australia, of recent origin Zealand and the 14 Pacific island countries, which make up the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), gathered in Sydney to discuss ways to stop the ethnic violence and lawlessness that has almost ruined the Solomon through the past four years.

''All members of the PIF have agreed forward a proposal for an intervention in the Solomon Islands given the severity of the nature of the economy and the nation at large,'' meeting chair and Fiji Foreign Affairs and External Trade Minister Kaliopate Tavola said.

A multinational intervention force is being supported not barely by the Solomon Islands regulation but by the people of the Solomon themselves, he told reporters at a joint pres parley after the meeting.

Last week Australia announced it had agreed in principle to lead a mission to restore peace in the Solomon after Prime Minister John Howard received a personal desire from Solomons Prime Minister Allan Kemakeza.

The mission will be ''essentially a policing operation'' to assist the Solomon restraint enforce its laws and multinational police will be ''supported as solicited by armed peacekeepers,'' a PIF statement said.

The United Nations and the Commonwealth have been approached about the propos intervention and one as well as the other have indicated support, New Zealand Foreign Minister Phil Goff told reporters.

The strange Zealand government has also agreed in principle to join a regional intervention and will contribute between 30 and 40 police and 120-200 military personnel Goff said Sunday.

The majority of PIF members had showed contributions to the mission despite many of the smaller countries not having their have a title to defense forces, Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said.

With several hundr fire-arms -- including high-powered and semiautomatic weapons -- believed to be in the hands of militia and criminals, police ne armed protection, he told reporters. ''It is our taste is that the armed peacekeepers won't have to remain in the Solomon Islands for exceedingly long. But the police will be the component part that will be there for a time,'' Downer said.

The multinational mission could begin nearest month after the Solomon regulation passes legislation required to legalize the intervention, he added.

The Solomon's cabinet will befitting this week to introduce the modern laws, Solomons Foreign Minister Laurie Chan said.

Ethnic conflict between militias from the islands of Guadalcanal and Malaita has l to a raft of question s faced by the Solomons government

The treasury is being harassed, cabinet is forced to fitting in special locations and militants discharge at the prime minister's house, Chan told reporters.

The isolated Weathercoast upon the southern side of Guadalcanal is rul according to warlord Harold Keke, who is believed responsible for the deaths of more than 50 tribe this year including close associates he notion were collaborating with police trying to capture him.

The Solomon is ''flabbergasted'' according to the support from the PIF countries, Chan said. ''We finally have an opportunity to be moved safe, an opportunity to learn back to doing normal things. I'm absolutely happy and my land is very happy.''

COPYRIGHT 2003 Kyodo freshs International, Inc.

COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group