The Solomon Islands has opened the door to a possible asylum seeker processing deal with Australia, claiming it was ready to talk about the issue if a proposal was put to the small developing nation.
In the wake of the multi-billion agreement to resettle Australia-bound refugees in PNG, the Solomon Islands Prime Minister Gordon Darcy Lilo said his country was prepared to consider a proposal.
Responding to questions, Mr Lilo said he expected the Solomon Islands to be asked to contribute to dealing with the record numbers of asylum seekers.
"We stand ready to talk about it because a regional solution is very important," Mr Lilo said after a meeting with Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr in Honiara. "There is space for us to be engaged to make sure we have a strong, secure region.
"These are issues that have been proposed. We will give ourselves some time to think.
Source: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/