Gun amnesty in the Solomons

The peacekeeping force has been welcomed by many islanders

The government of the Solomon Islands has announced a 21-day weapons amnesty, as an Australian-led peacekeeping force continues to try and restore order in the lawless Pacific nation.

Militia groups, corrupt police and criminal gangs must now surrender any illegally-held guns or face hefty fines or up to 10 years in prison.

Solomons Prime Minister Allan Kemakeza said the amnesty, which comes into effect from midnight (1300 GMT on Thursday) was "the last opportunity" to surrender an estimated 1,300 illegally-held guns.

One of the most powerful factions, the Malaita Eagle Force, has already agreed to hand over its weapons in a fortnight's time.

The Australian Foreign Minister, Alexander Downer, and his counterpart from New Zealand, Phil Goff, arrived in the Solomons on Thursday to assess the progress of the peacekeeping force a week into its operation.

Mr Downer said the mission was going well, but he warned that there was still a long way to go.

Mr Gough said the foreign force would remain only as long as the people and the Solomons Government wanted it to stay.

Ethnic rivalries

The multinational intervention was deployed after a request by the Solomons Government to help arrest the country's slide towards anarchy, caused by a bitter ethnic war.

The force is made up of troops and police officers from Australia, Fiji, Papua New Guinea and New Zealand, along with some of the smaller island nations.

The thrust of the early days of intervention is illegal weapons, held not only by members of the ethnic militias, but also by the police.

Rebel officers took part in an armed coup three years ago, and the weeding out of corrupt elements in the police is a priority if firearms are to be recovered.

The 21-day gun amnesty is an important start for the intervention force, which hopes to recover as many illegally-held weapons as possible by peaceful means.

The BBC correspondent in the Solomons, Phil Mercer, says it has been a good first week for the peacekeepers.

Order is already being re-established on the islands, our correspondent says.

But breathing new life into a dying economy, and soothing deep-seated suspicion between ethnic groups, will take much longer, he adds.