Fed: Support for Solomons peacekeeping deployment overwhelming

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Fed: Support for Solomons peacekeeping deployment overwhelming:

SYDNEY, Aug 5 AAP - An overwhelming majority of Australians support the federal government'sdecision to deploy Australian troops in the Solomon Islands as part of a regional peacekeepingforce, a poll published today shows.

Three out of every four people surveyed for the Newspoll published in The Australiantoday supported Prime Minister John Howard's decision to despatch 2,000 troops and policepersonnel to the Solomons.

The Solomons deployment contrasts with Australia's involvement in the invasion of Iraq,support for which peaked at just 57 per cent in April, the newspaper reported.

Poll respondents appeared to rate the Solomons deployment alongside Mr Howard's decisionto send Australian troops to East Timor to quell a rampage by anti-independence militias.

Older male conservative voters appeared most in favour of the Australian military'slatest foreign mission, while women generally were more circumspect, the poll found.

The government's maintenance of its overall lead over the opposition was largely attributableto support for the Solomons mission, the newspaper reported.

AAP pa/mg

KEYWORD: SOLOMONS POLL