Commonwealth Secretariat press release

Commonwealth Secretary-General to visit Papua New Guinea

24 May 2004

Commonwealth Secretary-General Don McKinnon will this week pay an official visit to Papua New Guinea. He will arrive in Port Moresby on Wednesday 26 May and will meet with the Prime Minister, Sir Michael Somare, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sir Rabbie Namaliu and other Ministers.

The Secretary-General's discussions in Port Moresby are likely to cover mandates from the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) held in Abuja, Nigeria, last December. Regional issues and other matters of shared interest, including preparations for the 2005 CHOGM in Malta are also on the agenda.

Mr McKinnon will also visit Bougainville, where he will apprise himself of recent developments and progress on the peace process.

Note to Editors

Mr McKinnon has had a long association with Bougainville. As New Zealand Foreign Minister, he led efforts to restore peace on the island in the mid-1990s.

For media enquiries please contact James Robertson on: +44(0)7730 90 00 20 or +675(0)321 2266.

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