Bougainville News 11/3/97 Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit source:VIKKI@lexsun.law.uts.edu.au Sun Nov 2 19:40:23 1997 The National (PNG) Newspaper - 3 November, 1997 Downer stresses need for personal contacts By ALFRED KANINIBA and AAP PORT MORESBY: Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer stressed that personal contacts needed to be created and maintained between senior ministers of both countries in order to facilitate better cooperation on matters of interest. Speaking at the one-day 10th PNG-Australia Ministerial Forum in Alotau on Friday, Mr Downer said that the Ministerial Forum was very important. "We feel that it is very important to build those ties through constant communications," Mr Downer said. Mr Downer added also that very important developments had taken place in the last 12 months in terms of bilaterial relationships especially in Defence matters in which defence ministers Ian MacLachlan and Mao Zeming recently met to review existing arrangements which were extremely successful, and especially with the drought and frost affecting PNG. Mr Downer added that in relation to contacts on drought negotiations they were happy with the aid program. "Contacts cannot be underestimated." He also said Australia was glad to have supported the initiative leading to the Burnham Truce on Bougainville. He said a truce monitoring group was now likely on Bougainville, but it was still too soon to spell out details. Talks earlier this year at Burnham in New Zealand have led to a cessation of fighting on the island. Mr Downer congratulated the PNG government for its attempts to secure peace on Bougainville. "I have reaffirmed Australia's strong support for current efforts to resolve the dispute and to facilitate future rounds of talks and to contribute constructively and substantially to the Bougainville peace process," he said. "There are teams from Australia, and also New Zealand and Papua New Guinea over on Bougainville at the moment making an assessment of what form a truce monitoring group could take. "I don't want to anticipate precisely what form it will take, but it is likely that a truce monitoring group will be established." He also said that for any country to become strong, it needed to have a strong Private enterprise. "Commercial enterprise is another important component and we want to see it grow," he said. "Business communities must continue to prosper on both sides." ==================== Build trust in B'ville, army told PORT MORESBY: The National Government has directed security forces to help in creating an atmosphere of peace in order to build trust and confidence between the parties involved in the Bougainville peace initiative. This follows a Cabinet approval on a special report on the Bougainville peace talks held at Burnham in New Zealand recently. Mr Skate commended all the participants at the talks on their positive attitude and their resolve to end the armed conflict, and the continuing discussions on ways to achieve lasting peace for Bougainville. The Prime Minister said he was particularly pleased with reports of positive community reactions to the truce and related developments. He added that regular liaisions and meetings between the security forces , the BTG and the rebels on Bougainville would be stepped up to promote better understanding about working arrangements under the truce agreement and to resolve any misunderstanding that could arise. =================== Panel to oversee B'ville truce RABAUL: A high powered Truce Monitoring Committee (TMC) is proposed to be set up to monitor the implementation of the Burnham Truce on Bougainville. The Bougainville Transitional Government's (BTG) proposal on setting up the TMC was announced last Thursday by Bougainville Premier Gerad Sinato during a briefing with a reconnaissance truce monitoring team which visited the crisis-torn island last weekend. The reconnaissance truce monitoring team which comprised three senior Australian defence personnel, six Papua New Guinea Government and defence representatives, and three New Zealand defence personnel had gone to Bougainville last Thursday on a three-day visit to assess the current peace process on Bougainville. Mr Sinato said, when announcing the BTG's endorsement of the peace TMC before the reconnaissance truce monitoring team had left Buka for Lagui in South Bougainville, that there was an urgent need to set up a concrete TMC to boost the current peace process on the Island. "From BTG's point of view, the truce has further accelerated the peace process on Bougainville. While we hail this as a positive advancement, the BTG believes that proper monitoring and coordination of day-to-day peace related activities is needed in order to keep up with the momentum for the desire for peace on Bougainville," he said. Mr Sinato said the proposed TMC, which is also the desire of the National Government in accordance with Burnham Declaration and the Burnham Truce, will comprise representatives from various organisations including the neutral observer group, security force, the National Government, rebels, BTG and representatives from Bougainville Provincial Peace Committee and Department of Bougainville. The chairperson of the TMC will be one of the representatives of the neutral observer group and the proposed TMC will have its operation base in Arawa. "The location of operations must be within easy reach of the rebel representatives. Ideally, the location must also be operating base for the neutral observer group. Hence Arawa has been recommended as the ideal location for the operations for the neutral observer team as well as the TMC," Mr Sinato said. The functions of the TMC among others are to: * Monitor and supervise the implementation of the truce; * Maintain regular dialogue between all parties to the truce; * Carry out investigations into complaints received from aggravated parties to this truce and other persons who may lodge complaints with the committee from time to time; * Conduct advance surveillance for deployment of peace-keeping force on Bougainville. Mr Sinato added that the National Government will endorse the establishment of the TMC after supporting recommendations are provided by the reconnaissance truce team on the basis of their visit to the Island. The reconnaissance truce monitoring which was sent by the respective governments as a follow-up of the Burnham truce to assess the peace process on Bougainville had, over the weekend, visited the island including Buka, Lagi, and Arawa before they left for Port Moresby yesterday . "They will also make recommendations to the respective governments which are party to the truce, for technical and financial assistance to facilitate the implementation of the truce," Mr Sinato said. ================================================================= NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us 339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 http://www.blythe.org e-mail: nyt@blythe.org ================================================================= nytenv-11.06.97-15:58:13-10019