Matangi Tonga, Vol. 18, No. 2

Tongan soldiers and policemen may soon be deployed overseas on peace keeping duties in Iraq, as well as the Solomons Islands.

It will put Tongan lives at risk on the front line of international conflicts, but not for the first time. Tonga's first peace keeping mission was to Bougainville in 1999.

Lt . Col. Tau'aika 'Uta'atu, the commander of the Tonga Defence Services said in early July that Tonga had agreed in principal to send a platoon of Tongan soldiers on a peace keeping mission to Iraq, and they were in the last stage of finalising an agreement with the United States.

However, Tau'aika said there were still a few sticky points left to be resolved before a deployment date was set. "The cost of our participation in the operation will be borne solely by the USA, a huge financial burden considering that there will be peace keeping forces from other countries.

"One difficult issue is that I am insisting for the Tongan contingent to be under US Command, but the US on the other hand wants us to be under a Polish Command."

Tau'aika said that he was not very happy with that arrangement, "they speak a different language and if they can't communicate with us while on duty in a hostile environment as Iraq, it will definitely lead to frustration, and even death. The safety of my men is my main concern."

Tau'aika said that these were just some of the issues that had to be sorted out before Tongan soldiers would be deployed in Iraq, where tentatively they would be on duty for six months.

Solomons

Tonga has also been called on to contribute man-power for a Pacific Forum countries peace keeping force in the Solomon Islands.

Tau'aika said that the mission to the Solomons was urgent, and that an international peace keeping force of up to 2,000 was expected to be deployed in the Solomons towards the end of July, and Tonga expected to send policemen and another platoon of Tongan soldiers.

During the past few months the deterioration of law and order in the Solomons had undermined the stability of the country, and the economy was in a very bad state. Forum Foreign Affairs Ministers met in Sydney on June 30 to formulate a plan of action.

Fekita 'Utoikamanu, Tongan Secretary for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who accompanied Tonga's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Prince 'Ulukalala Lavaka Ata, to the meeting, said that the Foreign Ministers had agreed for a Forum Peace Keeping Force to intervene in the Solomons. The intervention would be a policing operation, to be supported by armed peace keeping soldiers.

Fekita said that although the Solomon's need was urgent, but under the Biketawa Declaration a formal request must first be presented to the Forum from the Solomons Islands Government, and the Solomons Islands parliament must pass legislation to protect the lives of the international police and the armed peace keepers, but at the same time remaining consistent with the normal processes of Solomon Islands law.

Australia

The main financier of this operation would be Australia, in conjunction with New Zealand and other Forum member countries.

Tonga would contribute a platoon from the Tonga Defence Services, and some policemen from the Tonga Police Force. The Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Alexander Downer told a press conference in Sydney following the meeting of ministers that he expected a Forum peace keeping force to consist of around 2,000 armed soldiers and 300 policemen. The duration of their stay in the Solomons had not been finalised but it was estimated to be under six months.