Australian help at hand for PNG
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Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Alexander Downer, wants to send police into Bougainville.
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SYDNEY, Australia (CNN) -- Eight Australian officials are preparing to leave for Papua New Guinea as part of their government's Enhanced Co-Operation Program to improve economic management and law and order.
The officials will take up positions next week in the government ministries of treasury, finance, personnel management, customers, foreign affairs and immigration.
Almost 300 Australians will be sent to PNG as part of a bilateral agreement struck at a ministerial forum last December.
A total 230 Australian police and 64 government staff are due to work alongside their Papua New Guinean counterparts in the areas of justice, public sector management, border security and transport.
Full implementation of the program cannot commence until the bilateral agreement has been approved by PNG's parliament. Its decision has been delayed because of a premature adjournment due to domestic political issues.
A statement by the Australian Foreign Affairs Minister, Alexander Downer, said Australian police were already in the PNG capital, Port Moresby, awaiting deployment.
"We are working to deploy 64 officials in the coming months and will explore ways to deploy a team of 20 police to Bougainville as soon as possible," Downer said in the statement.
