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FM AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2828
INFO RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA IMMEDIATE 4421
RUEHPB/AMEMBASSY PORT MORESBY IMMEDIATE 0566
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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 WELLINGTON 000406 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR D (FRITZ), EAP/FO, EAP/ANP, AND PM/ISO 
NSC FOR VICTOR CHA 
SECDEF FOR OSD/ISD LIZ PHU 
PACOM FOR JO1E/J2/J233/J5/SJFHQ 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/25/2015 
TAGS: PGOV PREL NZ
SUBJECT: NZ UPDATE ON THE SOLOMONS 
 
REF: WELLINGTON 298 
 
Classified By: DCM David R. Burnett, 
for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
¶1.  (C) Summary: GNZ officials report that a May 19 meeting 
between New Zealand Foreign Minister Peters, Australian 
Foreign Minister Downer, and Solomon Island officials was 
"difficult."  However, the Solomons PM was much more 
conciliatory during a separate meeting with Peters on May 23. 
Most Solomon Islanders seem to support RAMSI, but GNZ thinks 
more needs to be done to educate the local population about 
RAMSI's work. NZ officials believe PM Sogavare is in a 
difficult position, and they are trying to deliver a firm 
message without making things hard for the moderates in his 
Cabinet.  Meanwhile, NZDF predicts a NZ platoon will be in 
the Solomons at least until the end of the year, although NZ 
police should be down to pre-election levels by mid-June. 
End Summary. 
 
¶2.  (C) Peters and Downers had actually scheduled their visit 
to the Solomons about two months ago, presuming this would be 
a good time to meet the new government.  The timing had been 
changed slightly to May 19, not because of the recent unrest 
in the Solomons (reftel), but because of Peters desire to be 
present in Parliament when the Government unveiled its budget 
on May 18.  When the visit was originally planned, Peters had 
intended to stay in the Solomons a day longer than Downer, 
who left after a day.  However, the budget-related change 
meant that Peters missed the return commercial flight so he 
stayed on until May 22.  During the three-day solo visit, in 
addition to the second meeting with Sogavare Peters met with 
the Foreign Minister, Governor General, and Opposition 
leader.  He also visited Western Province and Malaita. 
 
¶3.  (C) Marion Crawshaw, an NZ Ministry of Foreign Affairs 
and Trade (MFAT) official who accompanied Peters, told 
Pol-Econ Couns that Solomons PM Sogavare was a lot more 
tempered in his remarks during his May 22 meeting with Peters 
than he had been in a larger meeting with Australian FM 
Downer, Solomons FM Patteson Oti and others just three days 
before.  Crawshaw, who is Director of MFAT's Bilateral 
Pacific Division believes this is because Oti was not at the 
second meeting.  RAMSI principals who had met with Sogavare 
had found him similarly constructive, she said, but found it 
had been hard to get the meeting via Oti.  She said whereas 
at the first meeting PM Sogavare and FM Oti had talked about 
the need for a RAMSI exit strategy, when Sogavare met with 
Peters alone he said "exit strategy" meant that RAMSI would 
leave one day, once its job was done. 
 
¶4.  (C) GNZ officials actually have some sympathy for 
Sogavare, Crawshaw said.  He is under a fair amount of 
pressure from the moderates in the Cabinet, but also needs 
the votes of both Ministers who are in prison (Charles 
Dausabea and Nelson Ne'e) to stay in power.  Although others 
in GNZ consider Sogavare to be corrupt, Crawshaw says she has 
seen no evidence that he  is "seriously in the till," 
although she added that it seems no Solomons politician is 
completely honest. Rather, she believes the PM's biggest 
problem is that he very much wants to be Prime Minister and 
is willing to ally with some very dishonest people to hold 
onto the post.  Crawshaw says that during a five minute 
one-on-one with Peters on the margins of their meeting, 
Sogavare apparently said that he was relying on RAMSI, 
Australia, and New Zealand "to give us sanity." 
 
¶5.  (C) For this reason, GNZ and the Australians are working 
through how to provide some tough messages to the Solomons 
while at the same time supporting the moderates in the 
Cabinet around Sogavare   Crawshaw said that during Peters' 
meetings and tour of the Solomons, people were generally 
supportive of RAMSI.  However they, and even PM Sogavare seem 
unaware of all the work that RAMSI is actually doing.  For 
example, the PM said there was a need for "capacity building" 
so that responsibility can be passed along to the Solomon 
Islanders.  But he was apparently not aware that much 
capacity building was already in place, such as by the many 
Australian Finance Ministry staff who have rotated through 
Honiara.  Crawshaw said that GNZ needs to do a better job to 
help publicize RAMSI's work, both in the Solomons and among 
 
WELLINGTON 00000406  002 OF 002 
 
 
NGOs in New Zealand. 
 
¶6.  (C) Peters also stopped in Papua New Guinea on his way 
back from the Solomons, where he had a good meeting with PNG 
Foreign Minister Namaliu.  Crawshaw said Peters was pleased 
that PNG is apparently sending the right message to the 
Solomons Government, and one that tracks closely to 
Australia's and New Zealand's: 
 
-- RAMSI is a package and can't be cut up. 
-- GOS has the responsibility to ensure the right things 
happen. 
-- Good governance is fundamental. 
-- The economic situation in the Solomons is dire and must be 
addressed. 
 
¶7.  (C) DATT and Pol-Econ Couns also discussed GNZ's Solomons 
contributions with NZDF officers Brigadier Warren Whiting, 
Assistant Chief for Strategic Commitments and Intelligence, 
and Colonel Mike Thompson, Director for Strategic 
Commitments.  Both confirmed that New Zealand will as early 
as next week draw down their police presence in the Solomons 
to pre-election levels, from about 64 to 35.  The military 
drawdown will be slower, however.  The 125 NZDF personnel now 
there will be reduced to about 40 by mid-late June.  Before 
the elections, Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and 
Tonga rotated through 1 platoon each.  Now, both Australia 
and New Zealand have standing platoons there, and the others 
are rotating through.  Whiting said the command arrangements 
still need to be worked through.  He anticipates that the 
expanded force will be in the Solomons at least until the end 
of the year, if not longer. 
McCormick