Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister Peter O'Neill says his government is going back to the drawing board on its policy for resettling refugees from Australia's Manus Island detention centre.
Mr O'Neill says due to a lack of understanding and support for refugee resettlement by communities in PNG, he has instructed that a new policy be drawn up after comprehensive consultation and public awareness campaigns.
This latest move further delays Canberra's troubled resettlement process, over a year after the Manus Island detention centre reopened.
1060 people are detained on Manus, and only 84 interim refugee status assessments had been carried out up to the end of September.
44 people have been found to be refugees but still remain on Manus.
Peter O'Neill met with Australia's Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, and Immigration Minister, Scott Morrison in Port Moresby on Sunday.
