South Pacific defence ministers want to transform a military disaster response group into a taskforce which could also conduct Pacific "stabilisation" missions, in a move which could stir controversy in the region.

The shift, which was flagged at last week's South Pacific Defence Ministers' Meeting (SPDMM) in Chile, would mark an ambitious expansion of the Pacific Response Group's remit (PRG) just a year after it was created to help respond to humanitarian catastrophes.

In a joint statement, the ministers said they had asked their defence chiefs to "explore options to broaden the mandate" of the group to "include stabilisation operations, including any necessary legal frameworks", which they called a "natural evolution" of the body.

The ministers also discussed a proposed Status of Forc

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