By Frank Enright

Mounting internal and international pressure has finally forced the Papua New Guinea government into peace talks with representatives of the Bougainville Interim Government. The talks are being held in the Solomon Islands capital of Honiara.

Reports from Amnesty International, United Nations Human Rights Commission findings and the Loosley report on the recent Australian parliamentary delegation's visit to Bougainville have embarrassed PNG Prime Minister Paias Wingti into dropping his demands that the Bougainville Revolutionary Army (BRA) surrender before peace talks begin.

Indicative of the growing antiwar sentiment within PNG was a June 9 report in the Times of Papua New Guinea of criticisms by the National Alliance of Non-Governmental Organisations. NANGO slammed the government for not doing enough to bring about peace.

“The only policy being pursued by the government is ... aimed at a military defeat of the secessionist movement, and the reopening of the Panguna mine for continued exploitation. This is reflected in the huge resources which are being poured into the military operations and the promises government is making to CRA [the Australian mining giant] and other worried investors about a near end to the crisis. This policy has failed, will continue to fail.

“Do not allow our beautiful country to fall into disrepute with the rest of the world. Let us genuinely negotiate peace and bring an end to the death and destruction on Bougainville”, implored the group.

The talks are, in fact, a belated recognition by PNG that the military option has failed. Journalist Ben Bohane, having covered conflicts in Burma, Afghanistan and Cambodia, was quoted in the June 20 issue of Time magazine as saying that the BRA was the most self-sufficient guerilla army he had encountered: they produced their own food, medicine and weaponry, they even ran diesel engines on coconut oil. Clearly, the BRA could continue the struggle indefinitely against the Australian-backed PNG Defence Force.

A joint communique issued from Honiara on June 13 states: “The purpose of this series of consultations is to pave the way for peace and that must be the ultimate objective of the meeting”.

Interim government spokesperson Mike Forster said, “I believe that there is now a real commitment to peace by both sides. By the end of consultations this time there was a sense of trust and understanding between the negotiators which has been missing for three years. Hopefully, we will be able to reach some further consensus on the issues to open doors to peace.”

Francis Ona, president of the interim government, said from Bougainville that his government and the BRA recognised the urgent need to find an early resolution to save lives on both sides. “We are supportive of the Pan Bougainville process as a means of resolving our internal conflicts.”

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