The Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, Tuiloma Neroni Slade, today hailed the recent Solomon Islands Government - RAMSI Partnership Framework as an important milestone in the life of the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI).

On a short visit to the RAMSI headquarters yesterday, Mr Slade said the conclusion of a Partnership Framework between the Solomon Islands and RAMSI was a major step forward in clarifying the areas in which the two parties will work together in jointly assessing the progress.

The Partnership Framework will be presented to the Pacific Island Forum Leaders for endorsement at their meeting in Cairns, Australia in August.

Mr Slade, who is currently visiting Honiara for the Council of Regional Organization in the Pacific (CROP) meeting, was briefed on the mission's work and the recent developments in RAMSI's partnership with the Solomon Islands Government.

RAMSI Special Coordinator, Graeme Wilson, who hosted Mr Slade's visit to RAMSI's headquarters, emphasized the importance of RAMSI's regional nature to the success so far of the Mission.

"I don't think you can underestimate the strength that the contribution from every member of the Forum brings to the Mission," Mr Wilson said.

He also expressed RAMSI's appreciation for the important oversight role the Forum and its Secretariat plays in the arrangements governing RAMSI.

The new Commander of RAMSI's Participating Police Force, Wayne Buchhorn, the Commander of RAMSI's Military Contingent, Neil Grimes, the Deputy Development Coordinator, James Hall also briefed the Secretary General on the progress being made across all areas of RAMSI's operations.