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Commonwealth Secretariat press release

Commonwealth Secretary-General Welcomes Bougainville Agreement

1 February 2001

The Commonwealth Secretary-General, Rt Hon Donald C McKinnon, today welcomed the agreement reached at Kokopo at the weekend between the Government of Papua New Guinea and Bougainville leaders. He said:

I am encouraged by the agreement reached between Bougainville leaders and the Papua New Guinea Government to hold a referendum on independence for Bougainville. This is a major breakthrough and it is my hope that this agreement will bring all parties one step closer to a resolution of the situation in Bougainville.

The timetable, in particular, will afford both sides the time needed to meet the requirements of the agreement, namely arms disposal, capacity building and reconciliation. I realise that there are many details to be worked through, but sustained goodwill on all sides will ensure that this can be achieved.

I want to assure all the people of Papua New Guinea that the Commonwealth stands ready to assist in fulfilling the requirements of the agreement and to support whatever efforts are to be undertaken to ensure that a successful outcome is reached.

I feel sure that all Commonwealth countries will wish this new agreement well and will do whatever they can to contribute to its success.


Note to Editors:

Prior to becoming Commonwealth Secretary-General, Rt Hon Donald McKinnon was, in his capacity as New Zealand's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, instrumental in re-starting the peace process on Bougainville in 1996. This resulted in the 'Burnham Agreement (July 1997)', the 'Burnham Truce' (October 1997) and the Lincoln Agreement (January 1998), which provided the basis for continuing talks between the Government of Papua New Guinea and the Bougainville factions involved in the conflict.

The Commonwealth has been involved in the Bougainville peace process since 1990, when a Commonwealth team was invited to assist in monitoring a proposed ceasefire. In December 1995, the Commonwealth co-chaired with the United Nations the second round of All Bougainville Talks in Cairns, Australia. In December 1996, the Secretary-General appointed a Commonwealth judge to head an inquest into the circumstances surrounding the death of Premier Theodore Miriung, former leader of the Bougainville Transitional Government. The Commonwealth has continued to monitor political developments on Bougainville.









01/07 1 February 2001


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