The Australian government has approved the deployment of more than 2,000 troops and police to the lawless Solomon Islands in the biggest military operation in the South Pacific since World War Two.
"This is not some kind of colonial hangover exercise by Australia. It is a response to the request of a friend," said Prime Minister John Howard, announcing the deployment on Tuesday.
The Australian troops and police will arrive in the Solomons capital, Honiara, on Thursday.
The Solomon Islands parliament last week sanctioned the deployment of an Australian-led multinational peacekeeping force to restore law and order after years of ethnic militia fighting.
The peacekeeping force will also include troops from New Zealand, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa and Tonga.
Clashes between militias from Guadalcanal and Malaita islands have left the Solomons nearly bankrupt, with armed gangs roaming Honiara and warlords controlling parts of the island nation.
Mr Howard said the Solomons was at risk of becoming a failed state and it was Australia's responsibility as a large, stable and prosperous South Pacific nation to help restore stability in the Solomons.
