Solomons to benefit from $15m fund

By FRAN O'SULLIVAN

A visiting senior British politician has indicated that the troubled ' Islands are poised to get access to a €8 million ($15.2 million) European Union fund.

The fund, earmarked for development, had previously been frozen.

Bill Rammell, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, said a "good job" had been done towards restoring stability.

Mr Rammell's views are in line with those of other EU representatives in Auckland for the post-forum dialogue.

The British politician spent four days in the 's before heading to Australia and then New Zealand.

The UK has underwritten the position of Police Commissioner to the 's.

In Auckland yesterday Mr Rammell praised the work done by Australia and New Zealand in leading efforts to restore stability.

He also paid tribute to the New Zealand Government's leadership for pledging engineers to assist with the reconstruction of Iraq when other nations had yet to step up to the plate.

"Bluntly we need other nations to be contributing," he said.

He earlier met Prime Minister Helen Clark, where the All Blacks' defeat of the Wallabies was the first topic for conversation.