PRESS RELEASE (47/11)
30th June 2011

The Solomon Islands government has urged the 5th meeting of the Forum Ministerial Standing Committee on the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands which got underway in Honiara this morning to reflect on past achievements and challenges ahead.
 

Opening the meeting this morning, Solomon Islands Deputy Prime Minister, Hon.Manasseh Maelanga said since the establishment of the Solomon Islands Government-RAMSI Partnership Framework in 2009, the relations between the two parties has grown from strength to strength.
 

“I am pleased to note that the implementation of the Partnership Framework has yielded significant results for Solomon Islands and this is a sign of the cooperative spirit between us,” said Mr Maelanga.
 

Deputy Prime Minister Maelanga said that despite the success of RAMSI in the various sectors in the country, “there are also challenges that we are faced with.”
 

“The issues of resources,capacity and capability development, the infrastructures and so forth continues to challenge the work we are doing. It is therefore important that this partnership also addresses these challenges and seek ways to improve on them in the future.”
 

Mr Maelanga said RAMSI has been in Solomon Islands for seven years now and the future needs to be discussed.

“It is therefore important to discuss the issue of transition in consultative and constructive manner to ensure when RAMSI leaves, there are no huge gaps left. I can assure you all that the Solomon Islands government is committed to this process and hence we will be having internal consultations on the issue of RAMSI transition,” said Mr Maelanga.

“RAMSI is a regional initiative and it is important when discussing the drawdown, we also consider other measured whereby Pacific Islands Countries can take a leading role in the operation. I am very encouraged to note that few Pacific Island countries have well established Community Policing programmes and it is an initiative Solomon Islands is keen to promote.”

Deputy Prime Minister Mr Maelanga thanked the governments of Australia and New Zealand for the continuous financial support to the work of RAMSI, all the governments of the other participating countries as well as the Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat and his staff for the continuous oversight role in the Mission.

The 5th meeting of the FMSC today discussed the progress made in the implementation of the SIG/RAMSI Partnership Framework, the RAMSI transition phase and the report of the 7th Enhanced Consultative Mechanism which met on 28 – 29th June 2011.

ENDS.

For media enquiries contact Mr Johnson Honimae, the Forum Secretariat’s Media Officer on phone 677 7468546 or email: johnsonh@forumsec.org.fj.