Solomons peace unit to include civilians

By EUGENE BINGHAM political reporter

Civilians will join unarmed police and military officers in New Zealand's deployment to the troubled Solomon Islands.

New Zealanders are likely to be asked to join a Peace Monitoring Council to oversee an accord accepted by the Pacific nation's warring factions.

The civilians, probably Government officials or aid agency workers, will be dispatched within two weeks to help to establish an Anzac monitoring team of police and soldiers.

Their job will be to advise the Solomon Islands Government on how to enforce Sunday's peace deal and rebuild the country's shattered infrastructure.

Foreign Affairs Minister Phil Goff said yesterday that the cabinet had approved in principle the two-year deployment of up to 20 civilians, police and military staff to the islands, where at least 70 people have died in ethnic conflict in the past 18 months.

The council and the monitoring team will oversee the handing over of weapons, the disbanding of the militia forces and settlement of land grievances that have been the cause of the friction.

Like members of the peacekeeping force, the civilian experts will not be allowed to carry arms, though Mr Goff said he would seek assurances about their safety before anyone was sent.

National's foreign affairs spokesman, John Luxton, said he would like more word on the risks.

"My main concern is to ensure that the Government is taking every appropriate step to ensure the safety of the New Zealanders."

Act leader Richard Prebble said he would seek a snap parliamentary debate on the deployment today.

Terms of the agreement signed between the Malaita Eagle Force and the Isatabu Freedom Movement say the Solomons Government will seek help from Australia and New Zealand to compensate the 20,000 people evicted from their homes during the conflict.

Mr Goff said New Zealand had already earmarked $1.5 million of its aid budget for addressing the land issue and it was not likely to devote any more.

Compensation to those who had lost their land should be in traditional gifts, such as shell money and pigs, rather than wads of international cash, he said.

The deal sets out a blueprint for the country's recovery, including plans to send Solomons authorities to Asia to market Malaita as an investment destination.

Loans and grants will be given to the provincial governments of Malaita and Guadalcanal to rebuild and develop facilities and industries, including the international airport, roads, fisheries and port services.