Australian Police will not be allowed to return to Vanuatu yet, despite Australia expressing regret over an incident where a senior government official was arrested at Sydney airport.
The Police were expelled in May when Australia refused to apologise after Clarence Marae was arrested on fraud charges while en-route to Israel with the Prime Minister, Sato Kilman.
Last month at the Pacific Island Leaders meeting in Japan the Australian Pacific Affairs Secretary, Richard Marles, said he regretted any inconvenience experienced by Mr Kilman.
But the Vanuatu Foreign Affairs Minister, Alfred Carlot, says the Australian Police will not be allowed to return to the country yet.
Mr Carlot says he will discuss the situation with the Prime Minister when he returns to the country and says negotiations with Australia are ongoing.
