Cease-fire proposed on Bougainville

By Jon Land

Talks involving PNG's new prime minister, Julius Chan, and Sam Kauona, leader of the Bougainville Revolutionary Army, have strengthened the prospects for peace on Bougainville. Negotiations held over September 2-3 in the Solomon Islands have proposed the implementation of a cease-fire, expected to take effect within the next few weeks.

The cease-fire will follow an agreement to end hostilities between PNG Defence Force and the BRA and will include provisions for a South Pacific peacekeeping force (likely to include Fiji, Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands). A Bougainville peace conference is also to be held in either Bougainville or PNG. This agreement is a key step to ending a war which has dragged on for almost six years.

“There was much heated debate about Panguna mine and the presence of PNG troops. We have stated that in order for a cease-fire process to occur PNG troops must withdraw from the mine site”, Moses Havini, a representative of the Bougainville Interim Government, told Green Left Weekly from the Solomon Islands.

“Lifting the blockade is another precondition to peace. We have firmly asked that the blockade be lifted as soon as the cease-fire is arrived at, to allow humanitarian aid through”.

“ It is still early days yet”, Havini added. “We have signed two peace accords in the past which were broken by PNG. This is a significant change in attitude, though, by PNG towards Bougainville, and the approach from the present prime minister seems to be favourable. Chan has signalled that he is `calling the tune' as far as the PNG military is concerned. He has also said that he would weed out the `erratic' elements of his forces on Bougainville.

“These are good signs, and we hope that what has been established with these negotiations will continue from now on.”

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