Responding to increased stability in Bougainville, the United Nations today proposed replacing its current presence with a smaller observer mission as the island heads towards the establishment of an autonomous government.
United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today welcomed the decision by Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Vanuatu to dispatch a small civilian transition team to Bougainville after the group currently monitoring the peace process there leaves the Papua New Guinean island.
Despite the remaining obstacles, the Bougainville peace agreement can be fully implemented before the end of the year, a senior United Nations official told the Security Council today, stressing that international support to the island will be more critical than ever.
While the peace process in Bougainville is stronger than ever, it still needs nurturing, the United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan says in a report issued today on progress made by the United Nations mission to the island in Papua New Guinea.
