The former Commonwealth Secretary-General, Don McKinnon, says the late Bougainville President, Joseph Kabui, was a natural leader, committed to a cause he firmly believed in.
Mr Kabui died in hospital in Buka at the weekend.
Mr McKinnon, while the New Zealand Foreign Minister during the 1990s, forged close links with Mr Kabui, as they both strived to end the eight year long civil war in the province.
"Even though there were a number of different factions breaking up, and then of course there was always old Francis Ona sitting up on the mountain top there just not willing to participate at all. For a long time even I had my doubts that we were going to get a good solution out of it, but Joe was one who.....he had authority, he had a vision, he knew what was going to be best for Bougainville, and we were in agreement with that."
