Motion delayed: The Opposition claims it has the numbers to topple Mr Sogavare. [File photo]
Last Update: Friday, October 6, 2006. 12:00pm (AEST)

Sogavare's no-confidence motion delayed

Opponents of the Solomon Islands Prime Minister, Manasseh Sogavare, have deferred a vote of no confidence in his Government.

The motion has been rescheduled for next week.

Ahead of the vote, the Solomons Opposition Leader Fred Fono said there was enough discontent in Mr Sogavare's Coalition Government to topple the Prime Minister.

But when Parliament convened in Honiara this morning, Mr Fono quickly moved to defer the vote until next Friday.

Mr Sogavare became Prime Minister in May this year in the wake of the Honiara riots, defeating Mr Fono in a leadership ballot by 28 votes to 22.

In recent months relations between Australia and the Solomons have steadily worsened.

Last month Mr Sogavare expelled the Australian High Commissioner, Patrick Cole, and accused him of interfering in domestic politics.

Mr Sogavare is also resisting Australian attempts to extradite his Attorney-General, Julian Moti, on child sex charges.

Mr Moti was being sheltered in the Solomons High Commission in Papua New Guinea.

The Papua New Guinean Prime Minister, Sir Michael Somare, has criticised Australia's efforts to have him arrested there.

But Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Downer says he does not care what criticism is levelled at the Federal Government over the extradition push.

"He is an Australian citizen, he is being protected by the Solomon Islands Government, he is facing very serious charges and somebody's complaining about us being interventionist," he said.

"Of course we're going to be if - you want use that word - interventionist in order to get someone facing charges as serious as that back to Australia."