File spoon-archives/marxism-news.archive/marxism-news_1998/marxism-news.9801, message 69


From: "Vikki John" <VIKKI-AT-lexsun.law.uts.edu.au>
Date:          Wed, 28 Jan 1998 11:46:59 GMT-1000
Subject: M-NEWS: (Fwd) Bougainville - The Guardian 28/1/98



The Guardian January 28, 1998

Bougainville: historic cease-fire agreement

The peace process took a concrete step forward with the signing last 
Friday of the Lincoln Agreement on Peace, Security and Development on 
Bougainville. After nine years of war and the loss of an estimated 15,000 
lives on Bougainville, agreement was reached for a permanent cease-fire and 
the withdrawal of Papua New Guinea Defence Forces (PNGDF).

The first step in the process was the Burnham Declaration signed by 
Bougainville leaders following talks in July 1997.

The Burnham Declaration united the Bougainvillean organisations around a 
set of principles and a process for the achievement of a lasting peace and 
justice on Bougainville. It laid the basis for the subsequent negotiations.

This was followed by the Burnham Truce (October 1997) and Cairns talks 
which brought PNG into the process and resulted in the blockade of 
Bougainville being lifted and the establishment of a New Zealand-led Truce 
Monitoring Group on Bougainville.

The negotiations just completed at Lincoln University in Christchurch, New 
Zealand, take this process an important step forward.

They involved leaders of the Bougainvillean Revolutionary Army (BRA), the 
Bougainville Interim Government (BIG), the PNG-appointed Bougainville 
Transitional Government (BTG), the pro-PNG Bougainville Resistance Force, a 
women's delegation and other leaders from the ground in Bougainville and 
the PNG Government.

Continued page 5

Government leaders from Vanuatu, Fiji, Australia and New Zealand also 
attended.

Solomon Islands Prime Minister Bartholomew Ulufa'Alu played a critical part 
chairing the negotiations.

A Special Envoy of the Secretary General of the United Nations, Valery 
Marusin, attended as an observer. PNG had strongly opposed his presence but 
eventually agreed.

"I'm happy with the leaders' meeting", Moses Havini, BIG/BRA representative 
in Australia, told The Guardian.

"We attempted to achieve as much as we could within the Burnham 
Declaration."

The cease-fire is the first of the points in the Declaration that were 
agreed to. It will come into force at midnight on April 30. The truce and 
presence of the Truce Monitoring Group (TMG) will be extended until that 
date.

Peace Keeping Force

By then arrangements should have been completed for its replacement by a 
Peace Keeping Force (PKF).

"The Papua New Guinea National Government will seek the endorsement of the 
United Nations Security Council for these arrangements, including the 
appointment of a Special observing mission to monitor these arrangements", 
the Lincoln Agreement states.

The PKF will be led by New Zealand which will provide the majority of 
members. Other members will come from Vanuatu, Fiji and Australia which 
will play a minor and more technical role.

Withdrawal of PNG Forces

PNG will withdraw its Defence Force from Bougainville "subject to 
restoration of civil authority". This was one of the most difficult points 
to reach agreement on in the negotiations.

The people of Bougainville would like to see a complete withdrawal of the 
PNGDF as soon as practicable.

It will be a phased withdrawal. It is hoped that as the PNGDF withdraw they 
will be replaced by a Bougainvillean police force which would take 
responsibility for civilian peacetime policing.

The question of arms was another sticking point. PNG insisted on the 
destruction of arms. The BRA submitted that they should be 
disposed of.

Agreement was eventually reached for the laying down of arms. The agreement 
states: 

"The parties will co-operate with the successor to the TMG in recording, 
locating and arranging disposal of all arms, ammunitions, explosives and 
other instruments of death, injury and destruction, including parts and 
ingredients of all the parties in Bougainville."

The BRA and Resistance Force will be demobilised and their members 
undertake re-education and rehabilitation programs. Some are likely to join 
the new police force.

Reconciliation

All parties will co-operate in promoting reconciliation.

A Bougainville Reconciliation Government will be elected in "free and 
democratic elections" before the end of 1998.

The BTG will go out of existence. The Reconciliation Government will be the 
means by which the leaders of the different parties will be able to 
continue the peace process on Bougainville and the negotiations with PNG.

The Village Court System which operated before the war will be re-
established.

Amnesty and pardon

PNG has agreed to "grant amnesty to persons involved in crisis-related 
activities on all sides" and will "recommend pardons for persons convicted 
of crisis-related offences".

It has also undertaken to remove bounties and grant freedom of movement.

Restoration and development

There is still a massive task of restoration and development, as well as 
reconciliation, as people return to their villages and try to pick up their 
lives again.

The parties have agreed to co-operate on the restoration of normalcy, 
provision of communications and other essential services such as health and 
education.

Australia has offered financial assistance and other international support 
will be sought. There is a tremendous will among the people to rebuild 
their lives.

The Lincoln Agreement is a very important step forward. But it is only one 
step on a long march.

Much of the detail of the Agreement has still to be negotiated and the 
political issues, particularly the question of self- determination for the 
people of Bougainville, have still to be tackled.

It is clear from PNG's reluctance to any UN presence and a number of other 
areas of negotiation that the PNG Government is still determined to retain 
Bougainville as part of PNG.

The parties will meet again on Bougainville to address the political issues 
before the end of June 1998.

It remains to be seen if PNG holds to its side of the agreement.

This is the sixth attempt at a peace process and so far the most promising.





   

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