Peacekeeping mission winds down in Solomon Islands

New Zealand is to scale down its Solomon Islands peacekeeping involvement.

Foreign Minister Phil Goff said yesterday that peace monitors had done all they could to restore calm on the islands since 2000.

"Their role has now finished; there will be a progressive downsizing of forces," Mr Goff said.

There would be a switch from a peacekeeping operation to the "wider-ranging problems" of working with Australia to help local police restore law and order.

New Zealand has 16 peacekeeping personnel on the islands, including police officers, service personnel and Government officials.

They were part of a 46-strong international peace monitoring team set up in October 2000.

Its mandate was to run until October this year, said Mr Goff, who visited the nation last month.

Mr Goff said he had enormous respect for and offered a tribute to the peacekeepers for what they had achieved.

They had helped in a process that had ended ethnic fighting in the Solomons, as well as helping recover 900 weapons.

There was concern that about 400 to 500 high-powered weapons remained on the islands, but all that could be done to collect those had been done.

In December, Mr Goff and his Australian counterpart, Alexander Downer, warned that law and order had to be restored if the Solomons was to continue to receive aid. Corruption and crime meant donor countries would be reluctant to put forward their taxpayers' money.

New Zealand contributes around $8 million a year to the Solomons and gave extra this year to back the elections.

- NZPA