Australia Donates Emergency Aid to SolomonsAustralia Tuesday donated 1 million Australian dollars (600,000 U.S. dollars) in emergency humanitarian aid to the Solomon Islands but warned that the warring sides must show a commitment to peace before further help was offered.Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said in a statement that 250,000 Australian dollars (150,000 U.S. dollars) would supply basic medicines at the urgent request of the Solomons Health Ministry. The remaining 750,000 Australian dollars (450,000 U.S. dollars) would be spent by the International Committee of the Red Cross on maintaining medical supplies, protection for detainees and delivering shelter and food to displaced people on both side of the ethnic conflict, he said. Downer welcomed the continuation of the truce in and around rebel Malaitan Eagle Force-held capital Honiara. He said his special envoy Pater Baxter and the Australian High Commission were working intensively with various Solomon Islands parties to help consolidate the truce and allow the early return of effective government authority. "Australia is ready to provide substantial support to make a peace settlement work," Downer said. "I must emphasize that the significant support we are able to offer for that purpose is entirely contingent on a demonstrated commitment on all sides to reject the path of violence and pursue a genuine and urgent peace process under constitutional rule," he said. "The extent to which the various Solomon Islands parties carry forward efforts to re-establish constitutional authority and reactivate peace negotiations will affect directly our readiness and capacity to assist," Downer added. |
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