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Security Council lauds Pacific Forum's bid to restore peace in Solomon Islands

Security Council lauds Pacific Forum's bid to restore peace in Solomon Islands

The members of the Security Council today lauded efforts by countries of the Pacific Islands Forum, especially Australia and New Zealand, for their efforts to restore peace in the Solomon Islands, scene of recent inter-island political and ethnic fighting, and called on all parties there to renounce the use of force to settle their differences.

"The members of the Security Council welcome warmly the collective action of the countries of the Pacific Islands Forum to support the people of the Solomon Islands in their quest for the restoration of law and order and stability," Deputy Permanent Representative Fayssal Mekdad of Syria, which holds the 15-nation body's rotating presidency for August, said in a press statement after closed-door consultations.

"The members of the Security Council welcome the leadership exerted by Australia and New Zealand, in close partnership with other countries in the region in this regard," the statement added, echoing one issued earlier this month by Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

Voicing the hope that the initiative would lead to the speedy restoration of national harmony and economic recovery in the South Pacific island chain, the Council statement said the members "encourage all parties to cooperate in promoting these objectives and to renounce the use of armed force and violence to settle their differences."