The tiny Pacific island of Nauru has agreed to accept another 400 boat people intercepted by the Australian navy in addition to the 800 asylum seekers already interned there.
Under the deal, Nauru will receive 10 million Australian dollars in aid. The republic agreed initially to accept several hundred asylum seekers denied entry to Australia for a 20 million Australian dollars.
Australian Foreign Minister Mr Alexander Downer said Nauru's President, Mr Rene Harris, signed a memorandum with Canberra to "accept a maximum of 1,200 persons to be accommodated at the two processing facilities in the country at any one time".
Under the agreement, Australia guaranteed that "no persons will remain in Nauru after appropriate processing procedures are completed".
Australian efforts to persuade Nauru to accept the 400 asylum seekers were designed to shore up Canberra's so-called Pacific Solution. Under the hardline policy, asylum seekers intercepted by the navy in Australia's northern waters are despatched to camps in either Nauru or Papua New Guinea.
Australia is also courting other Pacific states such as Kiribati and Palau to accept the boat people Canberra rejects.
AFP