The Australian High Commission Office in Honiara has denied media reports of a second open letter supposedly sent to the media by Alexander Downer.

The Australian High Commission Office in Honiara wrote in a press statement that contrary to media reports, the Australian Foreign Minister, Alexander Downer, has not written a second open letter to the people of Solomon Islands.

The statement went on to say that Mr Downer had in fact issued a media release strongly critical of Julian Moti's appointment as Solomon Islands Attorney General. For some reason, two out of three local newspapers published it in letter form.

The Australian High Commissioner has already informed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, providing the Ministry with a copy of the original media release, issued in Canberra on 10 July and available on the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade website www.dfat.gov.au. It appears that the Foreign Ministry may not have conveyed this information to the Prime Minister's office, thereby contributing to the current misunderstanding.