The President of the Bougainville Interim Government, Francis Ona, on May 16 called for an end to armed conflict with Papua New Guinea on Bougainville.
The resolution of the interim government:
- reiterated its demand for the withdrawal of all PNG troops from the island;
- proposed a complete and absolute amnesty from prosecution of all parties to conflict, except for the crime of rape;
- proposed a formal and complete cease-fire from the date of the withdrawal of PNG troops;
- proposed the outlawing of the bearing of arms within Bougainville except by those individuals mandated by a joint meeting of the Bougainville Interim Government (BIG) and the PNG government-appointed Bougainville Transitional Government (BTG).
The resolution followed the PNG government's decision to frustrate efforts by the newly appointed BTG and the BIG to meet for informal talks in Brisbane.
"Although all our people in Bougainville are ready to talk peace and to get together to decide a way forward, PNG continues to deny us the basic rights and freedoms that will bring such a peace about. We believe that while we have PNG working against it, peace cannot happen", Ona said in a broadcast over Radio Free Bougainville.
"We are ready to make peace with our other Bougainvillean brothers and sisters and address the many problems that have grown like a cancer in our island since the beginning of the struggle. When this has been done, we will be able to talk with PNG and other interested parties about the future of Bougainville.
"The interim government believes there is no way forward while the war continues. We want to bring about an end to the armed conflict, and this means the PNG Defence Force must be withdrawn from our island. We can make peace among ourselves, and I call upon all Bougainvilleans to recognise that the war will be over when the PNGDF is withdrawn."