Bougainvilleans to go to UN

By Frank Enright

The Bougainville Interim Government's representative to the United Nations, Mike Forster, has announced that it is considering taking the Papua New Guinea government to the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Holland. This follows PNG's breaching of a written agreement signed on June 11 and derailing the peace talks being held in the Solomon Islands' capital, Honiara.

This is the third violation of a written agreement by PNG during its six-year war on Bougainville. According to Forster, ``The concern that we have is that, at some stage, we will be looking towards a comprehensive agreement with PNG. If the agreements are not enforceable, either through good faith or under international law, there seems little point in continuing to negotiate. This suggests that some other means of solving the dispute will need to be devised which will have a binding result''.

These matters will be discussed with members of the Pacific Forum and the UN General Assembly later in the year. In the meantime, Forster says that the Bougainville Interim Government will look at its legal options in seeking compensation from PNG.

PNG has offered no explanation as to why it called off the talks which were part of a confidence-building exercise leading to a proposed pan-Bougainville peace conference. Such a conference is seen as a necessary prelude to any general ceasefire.

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