25 Oct 2006

Australian PM says RAMSI review a sensible idea

11:16 am on 25 October 2006

The Australian Prime Minister John Howard says the decision by the Pacific Forum to back Australia's leadership of the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands or RAMSI is a sensible outcome.

Pacific forum leaders meeting in Fiji reached a compromise over the future of RAMSI, agreeing to review its operations and establish a new consultative framework.

But they stopped well short of the major restructure proposed by Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare.

Mr Howard says he welcomes the decision, saying he is satisfied with the outcome.

"It's in the interest of the people of the Solomon Islands for RAMSI to be successful, and it's also in the interest of the Pacific as a whole that RAMSI continues."