Australia, RI and Papua

Australia, RI and Papua

Media reports on last week's meeting between Australian Prime
Minister John Howard and Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Sir
Michael Somare were inaccurate and misleading. The comments they
elicited from some people in Indonesia were disappointing.

Papua New Guinea and Australia have demonstrated that they
recognize Papua as an integral part of Indonesia. The Australian
Prime Minister has been firm in asserting Australia's respect for
Indonesia's territorial integrity in general and its sovereignty
over Papua in particular.

Australia supports Indonesia's efforts to deal with the
situation peacefully through dialogue and special autonomy. The
Papua New Guinea Prime Minister shares this position. After his
meeting with Howard, Sir Michael stated that Papua New Guinea
respected the sovereignty of Indonesia of which Papua was an
integral part.

This view was repeated by Pacific Island countries at the
annual meeting of the Pacific Island Forum (PIF) held last week
in Fiji. Despite many of the countries' leaders being lobbied by
Papuan activists before the meeting, the Forum communiqui noted
that "Forum leaders welcomed the passing of a special autonomy
law for Papua but urged Indonesia, the sovereign authority, to
ensure its full and timely implementation".

On his visit to Jakarta in August 2001, Howard signed a joint
communique with President Megawati which underlined the
importance of a comprehensive approach to solving the problems of
Papua through advancing the primacy of dialogue, greater respect
for human rights and the implementation of special autonomy
status within the unitary state of the Republic of Indonesia. We
condemn violence and human rights abuses by any party, and
believe dialogue offers the only sustainable resolution of
separatist pressures.

I note that Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda has rebutted the
erroneous press reports. I hope those commentators who have
misrepresented Australia's position take note of and report the
facts, not fiction.

RICHARD SMITH

Ambassador

Australian Embassy

Jakarta