Solomon Islands bans visits of foreign navy ships amid tensions with US
The Solomon Islands has announced a suspension on foreign navy ships entering its waters pending adoption of a new process for approval of port visits, the prime minister's office said in a statement on Tuesday.
"We have requested our partners to give us time to review, and put in place our new processes, before sending further requests for military vessels to enter the country," Prime Minister Manesseh Sogavare said in a statement on Tuesday.
"These will universally apply to all visiting naval vessels," he said in a statement emailed to Reuters.
The new protocol procedures are reportedly aimed to build national capacity to police the nation's exclusive economic zones.
According to the statement, the move comes as the islands have had "unfortunate experiences of foreign naval vessels entering the country's waters during the course of the year without diplomatic clearance granted", the statement said, without specifying those countries.
Last week, the US Coast Guard vessel, Oliver Henry, was unable to enter the Solomon Islands for a routine port call as its government did not respond to a request for the vessel to refuel and provision.
Relations between the Islands and the US have been tense since Honiara announced in May that it signed a security pact with China.
In April, a senior US government official had refused to rule out military action against the Islands if it were to allow China to establish a military base in the South Pacific country.
The Solomon Islands government, however, categorically declared that the security agreement did not envisage the construction of military bases, dismissing it as "misinformation promoted by anti-government commentators”.
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