31 Jul 2018

Bougainville leader says peace process mustn't be sabotaged

2:25 pm on 31 July 2018

The President of Bougainville, John Momis, says Papua New Guinea risks undermining the referendum on Bougainville independence if key matters are not quickly resolved.

President of the autonomous Bougainville government, John Momis.

President of the autonomous Bougainville government, John Momis. Photo: RNZI

The chief secretaries of Papua New Guinea and Bougainville are meeting in Port Moresby to try and arrange a meeting of the Joint Supervisory Board, which was meant to be held before the end of July.

That meeting was to settle issues left outstanding after another delayed meeting in June.

Mr Momis hopes the meeting can happen very soon because issues such as the referendum question, or questions, need to be settled urgently.

"We have got to resolve that issue. You must remember the Peace Agreement is a political agreement to resolve a bloody war. We can't leave things unresolved, we have got to allow the peace process to flow, the process must go on. You can't sabotage it."

John Momis said other urgent issues include the gazetting of former Irish prime minister, Bertie Ahern, as the chairman of the Bougainville Referendum Commission, as well as PNG government's funding obligations.

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