Pacific leaders urged to keep Bougainville issue internal

Prime Minister James Marape at the recent Pacific Islands Forum in Palau *(Image: Supplied)*

Pacific Islands Forum [PIF] leaders have been urged not to treat the Bougainville referendum as a regional matter, with key officials emphasizing that it remains an internal political process for Papua New Guinea to resolve.

PIF Secretary General Baron Waqa said that while the 2019 Peace Agreement allows Bougainville to engage with regional bodies, it is premature for the Forum to address the referendum at a regional level.

Waqa’s comments came in response to questions about whether Bougainville's future was raised during the leaders' meeting, following the tabling of the referendum results in PNG's National Parliament on August 27. The tabling comes seven years after 97.7% of Bougainvilleans voted overwhelmingly in favor of independence.

"From the referendum, those haven't been filtered through leaders at this meeting," Waqa said. "I certainly haven't heard discussion on it... It's just a bit early for them to start discussing. We have a process to discuss. We don't just get up and start discussing sovereign issues for member countries, and this will involve Papua New Guinea."

Forum Chair and Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr. reiterated that the PIF respects the sovereignty of its member states, including PNG, and said that the Pacific agenda must be driven by member nations.

"It really is a country decision to bring things forward, so we look to the Prime Minister for his leadership," Whipps said. "We have to understand that you're a Forum member because you're a country, and if that happens in the future, of course, we welcome all Pacific to be part of the family. But most importantly, there's processes, and we respect that, and we respect the sovereignty of every country."

Prime Minister James Marape confirmed to NBC News that the matter remains before Parliament and will be addressed at an appropriate time, considering the need for careful deliberation on any historic decision.

"We have an internal process that is running," Marape said. "At an appropriate time, if the standing and status needs elevation to the Forum, then those matters will be discussed. Forums are always an ongoing process. When the Forum is in recess, the troika leadership, chaired by the incumbent chairman, takes carriage of all administrative matters in relation to regional issues."