Diplomatic skirmish in the Solomons
Today the Solomon Islands is refusing to budge on its decision to eject the Australian High Commissioner from the country, maintaining that his interference in the nation internal affairs has made his position untenable. The Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manaseh Sogavare declared Australian High Commissioner Patrick Cole persona non grata, citing the commissioners vocal objections to a commission of inquiry into the devastating April riots as the reason for the move. And, today the officials from Australia were rebuffed in their attempts to have a meeting to seek Cole’s recall overturned. But according to one observer, the Australian government needs to let the Solomon Islands government actually government its own affairs and must not use its position through the peacekeeping force RAMSAI as an excuse to interfere in the country’s handling of the aftermath of the riots.