Papua New Guinea’s prime minister says he will sign a security pact with Australia

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape says he will sign a bilateral security pact with Australia during a visit this week. Marape said Tuesday that the agreement to be signed with his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese on Thursday will involve Australian police officers working under the command of Papua New Guinea Police Commissioner David Manning. Albanese’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A security treaty between Australia and its nearest neighbor had been expected to be signed in June. But after a security agreement that Papua New Guinea signed with the United States sparked student protests in May, Marape announced the Australian pact would be delayed.