18 Apr 2005

Solomon Islands asks US for expertise to find out if WWII wrecks leaking oil

8:34 pm on 18 April 2005

Solomon Islands has asked the United States to provide experts to investigate oil leaks from World War Two shipwrecks in its waters.

It's also asked the US experts to remove mustard gas remains from Solomon Islands.

Hundreds of warships belonging to the Americans, their allies, and the Japanese navy, sank in Solomon Islands' waters during World War Two.

The Solomon Islands' ambassador to the United Nations, Colin Beck, says the country would like a bilateral mechanism to be put in place to deal with oil leaks because it doesn't have the capacity to combat them.