Global perspective Human stories

Second phase of weapons disposal in Bougainville completed - UN envoy

Second phase of weapons disposal in Bougainville completed - UN envoy

Noel Sinclair briefs Security Council
The second stage of weapons disposal in Bougainville is now complete, bringing the island closer to the hope of holding elections to establish an autonomous government, the head of the United Nations mission there told the Security Council today.

"The Bougainvillean people are showing a determination to move beyond weapons and concentrate on elections and on building institutions and on taking charge of their destiny," Noel Sinclair, the Head of the UN Political Office in Bougainville (UNPOB), told the 15-member body during an open meeting in which representatives of some 20 nations took the floor.

Ambassador Sinclair said the island - which fought a 10-year war of independence against Papua New Guinea before a ceasefire was brokered in 1998 - expressed a uniform desire for UNPOB to verify the end of stage II of weapons disposal so that elections could be held as soon as possible. The Mission made that verification and certification to the National Government on 30 July.

Stressing that much remained to be done, Ambassador Sinclair said UNPOB – scheduled to withdraw at the end of this year – was pushing ahead with its Operation Continuing Vigilance and Final Phase programmes, which sought the collection of greater numbers of uncontained weapons and their storage in secure conditions.

Stage III – for which the parties had a mid-December deadline – was already being seriously discussed. While the Bougainvilleans worked in that area, they were, at the same time, working to advance the autonomy aspects of the Agreement, most importantly, the finalization of the constitution and the holding of elections, he said.

Also speaking during the meeting, Ambassador Robert Aisi of Papua New Guinea agreed that UNPOB had responsibilities beyond this latest verification. If the parties did not reach a mutually acceptable agreement at stage III, the Mission had a further possible role in determining whether elections should be ahead or be deferred, he stated.

Ambassador Aisi also said the peace process in Bougainville remains a national priority in Papua New Guinea. His Government had accepted UNPOB's verification report and was conscious of the need to maintain consistency with the letter and spirit of the Bougainville Peace Agreement.