Joy, relief welcome defence forces in Solomons

New Zealand police and defence personnel have been welcomed to the troubled Solomon Islands with a mixture of joy and relief, the NZ contingent's senior officer, Wing Commander Shaun Clarke, said yesterday.

New Zealand is sending 35 police and 105 military to join the 2000-strong Australian-led intervention force.

About 60 of the peacekeepers have already arrived and the rest are due there by Friday.

"I have to say there's been a really strong sense of support and encouragement from the public here," Wing Commander Clarke said from the capital Honiara.

His national command unit of six is based in Honiara.

"We're working at the strategic operational level, liaison between ourselves and other troop-contributing nations - Tonga, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Australia.

The unit would also work with relevant high commissions.

The Solomons Parliament had unanimously endorsed the intervention force to help restore law and order and rebuild public services.

Once the full New Zealand military contingent arrives, 65 would be based at the airport, 13km east of Honiara, supporting New Zealand's four Iroquois helicopters.

A New Zealander, Wing Commander Ron Thacker, will be in charge of the aviation unit supporting police.

"That is the centre of this mission - the whole idea is to restore law and order to the Solomons at the request of the Solomon Islands Government," Wing Commander Clarke said.

The remaining 40 personnel would be integrated into the Australian-led coalition and, to start with, were likely to be based at a camp 1.5km from the airport.

They would fill various roles including logistics, engineering and medical assistance.

The engineering staff's first priority was to establish infrastructure for the force but they would then be used where needed, for example building police stations.



Wing Commander Clarke said apart from staff carrying personal arms, there were no special security measures in place. "That [an attack] is always possible and management of risk is something that's central to what we do with all military operations. Certainly there's no sense of risk at this stage."

He was optimistic that law and order could be achieved. "Listening to the direction and speed and determination of those who are heading this mission in the Solomons gives us great heart that we are actually going to make a difference."

The defence personnel were due to stay for three months. Involvement would cost $7 million to $10 million, depending on whether a 125-strong infantry company on standby in NZ was brought to the Solomons.

- NZPA