Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare addresses the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly remotely via pre-recorded video in New York City, U.S., September 25, 2021. REUTERS/ Eduardo Munoz/Pool
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SYDNEY, Aug 30 (Reuters) – Solomon Islands has suspended entry into its waters for foreign naval vessels pending the adoption of a new process for approving port visits , the prime minister’s office said Tuesday, in an attempt to better control its exclusive economy. areas
The move follows an incident last week when a US Coast Guard ship, the Oliver Henry, was unable to make a routine port call because the government did not respond to a request to refuel -it and supply it.
“We have asked our partners to give us time to review and implement our new processes, before sending new requests for military vessels to enter the country,” Prime Minister Manesseh Sogavare said in a statement.
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“These will apply universally to all visiting naval vessels,” he said in a statement emailed to Reuters.
Sogavare added that he wanted to build national capacity to police the Pacific island nation’s exclusive economic zones.
Solomon Islands has had “unfortunate experiences with foreign naval vessels entering the country’s waters during the year without diplomatic authorization,” the statement said, without naming the countries.
The suspension of naval ship visits will be lifted when there is a new process.
In a speech Tuesday afternoon to welcome the US hospital ship Mercy, Sogavare said the delay on the Oliver Henry was because information had not been sent to his office in time.
APPROVAL PROCEDURES
He also confirmed delays in approving the entry of the British navy ship Spey, which aborted its planned port of call, and that the Solomon Islands are reviewing approval procedures.
Earlier, the US embassy in Canberra, the Australian capital, said the Solomon Islands had notified it of a moratorium on navy ships entering its ports.
“On August 29, the United States received formal notification from the Solomon Islands government of a moratorium on all naval visits, pending updates on protocol procedures,” the embassy said in a communicated
The Mercy had arrived before the moratorium, the embassy said, adding that it was monitoring the situation.
The Solomon Islands have had a strained relationship with the United States and its allies since it reached a security pact with China this year. Read more
Beijing and Honiara have said there will be no Chinese military base, although a leaked draft refers to the repositioning of Chinese naval vessels in the strategically located archipelago.
Oliver Henry and HMS Spey were patrolling for illegal fishing in the South Pacific for a regional fisheries agency when they requested entry to refuel in Honiara, the capital of the Solomon Islands. Read more
The United States in July announced plans to fight illegal fishing in the Pacific, as part of increased US engagement in the region to counter China’s growing influence. Read more
On Monday, a US State Department spokesman called the lack of clearance for Oliver Henry “regrettable”, saying the US was pleased Mercy had received clearance.
Separately, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said it was unfortunate that “we have seen the Chinese try to intimidate and coerce nations across the Indo-Pacific into doing their bidding and serving what which they believe are their selfish national security interests. rather than the broader interests of a free and open Indo-Pacific.”
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Reporting by Kirsty Needham in Sydney and Michael Martina in Washington; Editing by Himani Sarkar and Clarence Fernandez
Our standards: the Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.